As we move toward a gigabit society, 5G technology will play a key role in the economy. The potential for innovation is enormous: High-performance mobile communication infrastructures are indispensable for the vision of fully connected driving, efficiency gains in logistics, and connectivity in the smart factory.

But 5G will also be of crucial importance for human-machine interaction over long distances: There is a shortage of doctors throughout Germany—especially specialists. Telemedicine can be a solution here. However, to perform surgery remotely using surgical robots, low latency, stable transmission, and very high data rates are required. Only then is real-time transmission of high-resolution images possible.

The key to 5G lies in the enormously high data rates of up to 10 Gbit/s that the technology enables. And it’s about the potential for significantly lower latency than today: With 5G, latency—the time it takes for information or a data packet to travel from its source to its destination—drops to less than five milliseconds. By comparison, it takes 100 milliseconds to blink an eye.

Security and Speed: Rapidly Advancing 5G Rollout in Germany

For German industry, a high-performance and secure 5G network is of central importance for sustainably strengthening the competitiveness of German industry. At the same time, the 5G network infrastructure must be rolled out rapidly—only then can the potential of Industry 4.0 be fully realized. Legal certainty is crucial for this, particularly with regard to the network components that can be used.

With the [IT Security Act 2.0](https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?startbk=Bundesanzeiger_BGBl&jumpTo=bgbl121s1122.pdf#__bgbl__%2F%2F*% 5B%40attr_id%3D%27bgbl121s1122.pdf%27%5D__1636538154050), in conjunction with the [Catalog of Security Requirements and the List of Critical Functions](https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/ Subject Areas/Telecommunications/Companies_Institutions/Corporate Obligations/Public Safety/Catalog of Security Requirements/Security Requirements-node.html) of the Federal Network Agency, the framework for a cyber-resilient 5G network has been established. Through a combination of technical security certification of components and trustworthiness assessments of manufacturers, the federal government aims to strengthen the resilience of the digital infrastructure. From the BDI’s perspective, the following must continue to apply in the future: Cybersecurity requirements must be manufacturer-independent and, as far as possible, designed at the European level. The resilience of the digital infrastructure can best be enhanced through the use of multiple providers (redundancy) in combination with technical and organizational security measures.

5G Networks: Who Is Allowed to Supply Network Components?

In its digital transformation, Germany relies on technical solutions from both domestic and international companies. Systematically excluding international providers from the development of digital infrastructure or the production of end devices would not be constructive. Digital sovereignty must not be confused with digital self-sufficiency.

From the BDI’s perspective, security must be the top priority. For this reason, all suppliers of network components should be required to meet the same high security standards—regardless of where their headquarters are located. There must be no special provisions for individual suppliers! The BDI therefore expressly welcomes the manufacturer-neutral approach adopted by the Federal Network Agency and the federal legislature. All manufacturers must equally ensure the resilience of their products, networks, and services. After all, the security of the entire 5G network is determined by the quality, resilience, and trustworthiness of its weakest link.

If, following a thorough review based on technical, political, legal, or intelligence criteria, there are reasonable doubts regarding a manufacturer’s trustworthiness, it is clear that the manufacturer in question must be excluded from participating in the development of the German network.

Security Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Regardless of the cyber resilience of telecommunications networks, it is crucial that companies—just like Internet users—implement basic cybersecurity hygiene measures and take far-reaching resilience measures, particularly when it comes to sensitive data and systems. Given current trends toward a steady increase in remote work and the growing interconnection of machines and equipment into complex, internet-connected systems, it is encouraging that companies will already be investing 14 percent of their [IT budget](https://www.bitkom.org/sites/main/files/ 2023-09/Bitkom-Charts-Wirtschaftsschutz-Cybercrime.pdf) in IT security as early as 2023 (by comparison, this figure was still at nine percent in 2022). Only through comprehensive digital and analog measures can resilience against cybercrime, digital industrial espionage, and sabotage be sustainably strengthened.

In the future, companies and Internet users should place greater emphasis on encrypting their data at the application level. End-to-end encryption—as is already common practice with some chat and email providers—must become the standard. At the same time, it is important to recognize that 100 percent security is not possible.