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WQ.252/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE
MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM, SPORT AND CULTURE
BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. MARTIN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 18th JUNE 2019
Question
In light of the warning from the National Cyber Security Centre to U.K. telecoms operators against using ZTE hardware (citing potential risks to the U.K.'s national security), the current debate in the U.K. regarding the prospective access by Huawei to the mobile network, and the recommendations of the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee in Intelligence regarding ZTE, will the Minister advise –
- whether it is his assessment that it is appropriate for the partnership with ZTE to remain in place and, if so, why; and
- whether measures and mitigations are in place to secure against Jersey's network being compromised?
Answer
The security and resilience of the Island's infrastructure including the digital infrastructure is a matter of the highest priority for government.
On matters related to telecoms security the Government of Jersey liaises closely with the relevant authorities in the UK. The Department of Digital, Culture, Medial and Sport (DCMS) is currently conducting a review of the supply chain of the UK's telecoms infrastructure operators, which will include an assessment of economic and technical matters, sector intelligence and international engagement. The review is to include a focus on security and resilience matters, as well as the quality, availability and long-term cost of telecoms equipment for fixed and mobile operators. The findings of this review are expected to be published in due course.
Until such time as this review is complete and the results comprehensively assessed, it would be entirely wrong to speculate on the potential outcome of the DCMS review or its impact on Jersey and specifically the use of ZTE equipment or the use of equipment from other Chinese suppliers.
In the meantime, my department is in regular contact with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the DCMS and regularly provides updates on network security, network structure and the network supply chain. Telecoms operators in Jersey are also in regular contact with the NCSC to ensure they are aware of the latest guidance.
The advice that I have received from my officers, in particular in relation to 5G services is that while Jersey should continue to plan for the delivery of 5G services, it is important that the Government of Jersey understands the positions and intent of our closest and most important allies. Ensuring appropriate levels of security and resilience will be critical to any future rollout of 5G in Jersey.
Both ZTE and Huawei are suppliers to telecom operators in Jersey and it is the responsibility of those operators to ensure they are satisfied in terms of the supply and security of that equipment. That being the case, there is no reason at this point to require operators to stop using either of the suppliers in question and I am currently satisfied with the measures and mitigations in place to secure against the networks being compromised although it would be inappropriate to comment publicly on the full extent of the measures in place.
However, I am aware that this is a complex and fast moving area internationally and I will continue to monitor the matter closely.