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EXPERT COMMENT

UK-Japan cooperation on the 5G agenda will also help shape the future of global digital cooperation.

Following a 2019 telecoms supply chain review and the decision in July 2020 to remove Huawei from its 5G network, the UK government released its 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy (SCDS) in November 2020. These policies mark a historic shift in UK telecommunications policy. The key message is that the government will proactively intervene in the telecoms industry to tackle supplier lock-in and incumbent advantages that limit competition.

Its long-term vision includes the disaggregation of network supply chains, open interfaces that promote interoperability, a global supply chain for components, transparent and independent standards, and the prioritization of network security and resilience.

The UK has also committed to working with international partners to ensure there are concerted global efforts to grow and open up the global 5G market under the principles of openness, competition and diversity.

As a first concrete step under the SCDS, the UK government selected Japanese supplier NEC as the partner for its first trial of the new Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) technology. Open RAN enables the participation of multiple suppliers by ensuring interoperability, a lack of which has typically prevented entry by new suppliers in pre-existing 5G networks. The UK government has also been working directly with its Japanese counterpart to make possible the deployment of this new technology.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.