Network security, including infrastructure resilience and geopolitical tensions, loomed large as speakers envisaged a future driven by cloud, AI and 6G technologies
Keynote 5: New Strategies for a New Era
Rounding off Day 1, a late afternoon keynote on advancements in AI and cloud computing covered the hottest topics of this year’s event. Brad Smith (President, Microsoft Corporation) opened the session by launching Microsoft’s AI Access Principles, a set of goals and guiding philosophies in advancing global access to AI technologies both quickly and equitably. On the same day that Microsoft launched a surprising partnership with French AI start-up Mistral AI, Smith emphasised repeatedly that Microsoft was committed to both a competitive market across the AI tech stack and a strong network of partnerships to deliver a wide range of AI-enabled services. These partnerships, including Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI, have captured the attention of a number of regulators around the world, and the EC has already confirmed it would consider the new partnership with Mistral in its ongoing investigation into Microsoft’s partnerships. Smith also made direct reference to the EU’s forthcoming AI Act, sticking to the now familiar Microsoft position that compliance to the letter of the law is the minimum the firm will do to ensure its technologies serve the public good. He also provided some assurances in the face of concerns that Europe would be left behind in the economic benefits of AI, highlighting the $5bn (£3.9bn) investments in AI data infrastructure in Germany and Spain which Microsoft announced in recent days.
Tying his presentation more closely to the implications of emerging technologies for operators, Michael Dell (Chairman & CEO, Dell Technologies) described the opportunities presented by cloud computing for network development and management. In a similar note to Brad Smith, Dell hinted at the immense value of the consumer data which operators possess, suggesting that operators could maximise that value by “bringing AI to the data” instead of outsourcing that data to an external AI system. Dell was also joined by Chris Sambar (Head of Network, AT&T) to announce a new partnership between the firms that would support the development of the operator’s cloud-based RAN. Both expressed that cloud computing has the potential to “break the cycles of rip and replace” for operators, making networks more open, accessible and programmable through software, as opposed to hardware, upgrades.
6G horizon
Day 2 kicked off with a session hosted by the 6G Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU). Colin Willcock (Vice Chair, SNS JU) provided an overview of the €1.8bn (£1.53bn) research initiative, which will be funded equally by the public and private sectors. He stated that 6G will not be created by any one nation or region, reinforcing the push for collaboration heard yesterday. In this spirit, the SNS JU has made international partnerships (e.g. with the US, Japan and South Korea) a strategic priority. Pearse O’Donohue (Director Future Networks, DG CONNECT) identified a potential coordinating role for the JU in helping to deliver the “Connected Collaborative Computing” network set out in last week's digital infrastructure white paper. However, he warned that the EU’s networks today are not connected and its subsea cables are not secure, with the bloc also overly reliant on copper and foreign chips. While highlighting the role of the EC’s recent connectivity package in driving investment and innovation, he stated that all players will need to put their shoulder to the wheel. Despite the focus on 6G, Paolo Murri (VP Business Development, TIM) considered that Europe was lagging behind in 5G, suggesting that industry may have overestimated demand. In his view, operators should take responsibility for fuelling some of the hype around 5G, which may have even contributed to pushing up spectrum prices in Italy.
What’s keeping CISO’s awake at night?
A panel on cybersecurity saw speakers highlight the considerable benefits that technology can have for them (e.g. AI in supporting threat detection) and for their users, but that it can also enable malicious actors. Thomas Tschersich (CSO, Deutsche Telekom) stated that cyberspace is being increasingly weaponised, for example to destabilise democracy through election interference. In addition, conflicts and tensions around the world harm supply chains and the ability of operators to build resilient networks. According to Justin Williams (Executive, Information Security Group, MTN) geopolitics can make operators a target for people that want to damage critical national infrastructure to make a political point. Kim Albarella (Head of Security, TikTok) opted not to contribute on the contentious issue of geopolitics, instead underlining that security is a collaborative effort that no one can do alone, but that it can be difficult to find the right people in some countries and regions. In Tschersich’s view, current initiatives from governments and universities to develop cybersecurity skills do not go far enough. Williams echoed comments on skills shortages, adding that this situation effectively means that attackers are able to create chaos while the defenders are left with one hand tied behind their back.
Elsewhere around the conference on day 2
In a conversation on spam and fraud, panellists debated how bad actors are undermining what was once the most trusted method of communication. Isaac Jacobson (SVP of Product, Gabb Wireless) questioned whether there is any communications service users can trust if they can’t trust voice calls. In addition to threats faced by consumers, Michel Gannage (Founder and CEO, Ecrio) discussed the vulnerability of small businesses to scams and the increasing difficulties that enterprises face in trying to find trusted ways to contact their customers. James Lau (Chief Product Officer, Hiya) noted that the arms race between bad actors and security services isn't new. However, he predicted that the next frontier in securing voice calling wouldn’t be based in the backend of the call but in the content of the call itself as voice cloning through generative AI technologies becomes more common.
In the Ministerial Programme, Brendan Carr (Commissioner, FCC) warned that if Title II regulations in the US were applied to the sector as an outcome of the net neutrality review, then it is not going to be conducive to attracting the investment in networks needed. Renate Nikolay (Deputy Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission) reminded us that when we started with regulating the sector over 30 years ago, the goal was a single telecom market – but the current reality is far from that. Joakim Reiter (Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Group) outlined five S's that governments need to pursue to revive the sector: scale (via consolidation), spectrum (with a new approach), ‘same-service-same-rules’, sustainability (as a lever for decarbonisation) and security.
In a panel on empowering the vulnerable in the digital environment, parallels were drawn between the online and physical worlds and the need for education on how to use online tools safely. The UNHCR invited regulators to speak to them when designing strategies to address digital inclusion.
