The United Kingdom government has planned for legislation in order to put rigid security requirements on the telecom operators as well as their current supply chains. However, the government has not taken a decision in regards to high risk vendors, stating that it would further research the matter following the placement of Chinese tech giant Huawei on US trade blacklist recently.
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport released the ‘Telecoms Supply Chain Review’ which outlines the review of the government with regards to security risks prevailing in telecom industry and also proposes a range of new tighter security requirements. Overseen by the government and Ofcom, the telecom operators from now will have to design as well as manage their respective networks in order to meet the new standards.
The ministry announced that the telecom operators would also be subject to thorough oversight as a part of their contract management and procurement processes. They will have to work more closely along with the suppliers in order to make sure that there’s a proper assurance testing conducted for systems, equipment and the software.
Moreover, the review also recognized lack of variation in the current supply chain and suggests that regulations on telecom cyber security should be strengthened.