A rchive Date
[ 19-02-2019 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Science & Technology ]
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[https://nationalpost.com/news/from-huawei-to-the-internet-of-things-a-brief-explainer-on-5g-and-the-risks-to-canadian-security
From Huawei To The Internet-of-Things: A Brief Explainer On 5G And The Risks To Canadian Security
Jesse Snyder
January 29, 2019
Canada’s plan to build a 5G network, which could be in place around 2020, has come into sharp focus in recent months, following the arrest by Canadian authorities of a high-level executive at China’s Huawei Technologies. Ottawa is now under increasing pressure to block Huawei from developing its 5G technology in Canada, as experts warn it would present a national security risk.
But what are 5G networks exactly? And why the security concerns? Here, we give you a (very) brief explainer on what 5G is, and why it matters:
What is 5G?
Fifth-generation networks, or 5G, are essentially a faster and more reliable version of wireless connectivity. They come after four generations of past improvements. 2G brought us text messaging, while 4G introduced video streaming and other capabilities, which gave us access to a host of new mobile services like Uber and Spotify.
5G marks a massive leap forward in such wireless technology. Unlike earlier networks, which essentially connected devices through one-way interactions, 5G would have countless points of connectivity, creating something that could be thought of as a grid pattern, or what experts call a “network of networks.” 5G has 200 times more access points for hackers than existing networks, experts warn.
If applied to its full potential, the technology would draw data from almost any device - from mobile phones to autonomous cars to home appliances (say, for example, a smart device that catalogues and organizes the food stocked in your fridge). It will also be much faster. Users will be able to download a two-hour movie in less than four seconds, down from around six minutes today (or 26 hours under 3G technology).
How does it work?
This connectivity of devices, also called the Internet of Things (IoT), would require the transmission of immense amounts of data. Current installations simply can’t manage such a rapid ramp-up.
“The bottom line is that this drive, this push for more data, is going to require a tremendous amount of throughput,” said Glenn McDougall of Doyletech Corp.
Data in a 5G network will be transmitted through such hardware as satellites, antennas and sensors, as well as cutting-edge software. Much of that data will come through super-small satellites, which companies are launching with increasing frequency, and at much lower cost.
Planet Labs, a U.S. company, is currently launching as many as 300 small-scale satellites into orbit that will be capable of photographing the entire Earth’s landmass on a daily basis (the satellites weigh 12 pounds and are no bigger than a breadbox, unlike the clunky satellites that space agencies used to launch, which were the size of a small car or larger).
Who are the players?
Telus and BCE, or Bell Canada, are partnering to build 5G technology along with Huawei. Their Canadian rival, Rogers, is working alongside Swedish telecom Ericsson - a main Huawei rival.
Nokia, Samsung, and China’s ZTE are the other major 5G developers. Last week, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains announced $40 million in new funding for Nokia, which operates in Canada.
Why the security risk?
Ottawa is currently reviewing Huawei’s bid to develop 5G technology in Canada. Security experts have warned that the Chinese government could use Huawei to intercept sensitive data. That claim is largely due to concerns that Chinese companies, particularly state-owned enterprises, are compelled to act on behalf of the Communist Party of China if asked to do so. A similar argument was made against the proposed $1.5-billion takeover of Canadian construction firm Aecon last year by a Chinese conglomerate, which was eventually blocked by Ottawa.
Experts say the vast number of connections and integrated nature of 5G networks provide hackers with much more opportunity to enter the system through so-called “back doors.” And the risks are much higher: A data breach in a sprawling 5G network would provide a pool of data that is vastly deeper than on today’s networks.
A new Cold War?
Experts warn that divisions over 5G are only the beginning of a larger technological fight between the U.S. and China, which some have dubbed the “New Cold War.” After years of greater collaboration between governments and the companies building technologies like 5G, security concerns and other geopolitical woes are beginning to erode that progress.
In particular, an extended trade war between the U.S. and China, and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to ban certain Chinese tech firms from the American supply chain, could further divide the global tech scene. Left unchanged, that could result in a world where technological progress among countries is far less uniform and integrated.
© 2019 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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