At the request of the U.S Department of State, CSIS assembled a group of 25 experts from Asian, European, and U.S. companies and research centres to develop criteria to assess the trustworthiness of telecommunications equipment suppliers. These criteria complement the work of the Prague Proposal and the European Union’s 5G Toolbox. They offer governments and network owners or operators an additional tool to use to determine trustworthiness and security.

Communication technologies are transforming the way we live and work. These changes create risks as well as opportunities since the rapid development and scale of communication technologies can increase dependency and vulnerability.

The global supply chains used for telecommunications networks’ software and hardware can raise security concerns, including increasing concern about the risks posed by the acquisition and deployment of communications technologies from untrustworthy suppliers. One key issue facing nations is how to assess the trustworthiness and security of technologies provided by different suppliers. Given their sensitivity for national security, telecommunications systems should only be sourced from trustworthy suppliers or manufacturers.