NTIA engages with stakeholders on vendor-diversity issues related to secure 5G rollout

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration checked in with industry stakeholders on the federal government’s recently announced “secure 5G implementation plan,” with extensive discussion on Open RAN, the possibility of government mandates, and issues related to the FCC’s rip-and-replace program.

Participants in the Thursday “listening session” also emphasized the need for coordination among different federal agencies as 5G policies are implemented, hitting on an industry worry in recent years that multiple arms of the U.S. government were pursuing aspects...