US urges Bahrain to secure 5G network

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by P Unnikrishnan

A top US official has warned against threats targeting people’s data security, as he endorsed the importance of having a clean 5G network in Bahrain.

The US Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach urged Bahrain’s government officials and business leaders to secure the Kingdom’s 5G environment and establish trusted networks throughout the country, to avoid potentially serious dangers to Bahrain’s sovereignty and national security.

“The US, as well as many other nations, have developed the clean network; this is a comprehensive approach to dealing with the long-term issues associated with data security, privacy, trust and collaboration, as posed by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” Kraft said at a Press conference held at Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.

“It is rooted in international digitally accepted trust principles, and it is a growing coalition of countries and companies; now there are over 40 countries on the network, and roughly about 50 telecommunication companies, including some of the biggest in the world.”

According to Kraft, among the nations that have already established a clean network are Japan, Singapore, Canada, the US, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and 27 of the 30 NATO states.

He added that four new countries had signed a MoU for a clean network yesterday, namely Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Slovakia.

He noted that the major companies worldwide that have joined the clean network include Sisco, HP, Oracle, Telefonica, and Fujitsu, to name a few. “I was in Brussels a few weeks ago, visiting with the deputy secretary of NATO, and he said it is very important that we have a clean NATO network,” Kraft added. “We don’t want to have some countries with trusted 5G and some untrusted, because you’re only as strong as your weakest link.