PiS wants to control telephony and the Internet. "Return to the state of the People's Republic of Poland"

The government plans to create a state-owned Operator of the Strategic Security Network (OSSB), which would manage the 700 MHz band through the Polish 5G capital company. Gen. Włodzimierz Nowak, former government plenipotentiary for cybersecurity, points to further gaps in the plans of the creators of the new law.

On October 12, the government presented another draft amendment to the Act on the National Cybersecurity System (KSC). According to it, a state-owned Operator of the Strategic Security Network (OSSB) will be established, which is to carry out telecommunications tasks for the defense and security of the state. Exatel is mentioned as a potential OSSB. In order to carry out statutory tasks, the state operator is to create the company "Polskie 5G", which will act as a wholesale operator of the 5G 700 MHz network.

The draft amendment has already been criticized for numerous shortcomings. Włodzimierz Nowak, former board member of T-Mobile, former deputy head of NATO CIS Services Agency and former government plenipotentiary for cybersecurity, in an interview with the Newseria Biznes agency, points to more.

See: The draft law on cybersecurity is inconsistent with Polish and international law

According to the general, the first mistake is to combine the issue of cybersecurity in one act with the arrangements for the state operator. In his opinion, a separate act should be developed, describing in detail the tasks of the OSSB. If such an operator were to be appointed, state authorities would have to use its network, and this affects the security of the state. This is very superficial in the design.

- says General Włodzimierz Nowak.

The need to create a state-owned, strategic operator is often argued by the fact that similar solutions function, among others, in in France (Orange) and Germany (Deutsche Telekom). However, according to the expert, these are completely different situations, because - as he emphasizes - these are typically business entities that perform duties for the security of their home countries, having a powerful intellectual, technological, investment potential and network coverage. Orange employs approx. 160,000 people. people as a public company with free float shares, Deutsche Telekom is 200,000. employees and 32 percent. state participation.

See: Poland chooses 5G from Ericsson and Nokia. How will this affect prices and security?

Gen. Nowak points out that the operator in Poland is to be a small Exatel company with 450 employees and a telecommunications potential estimated at less than 5 percent. on a national scale, and in addition entirely in the hands of the State Treasury. According to the expert, this is not the right solution.

- emphasizes Gen. Nowak.

" Return of the PRL state" " title="PiS wants to control telephony and the Internet. "PRL state return"" >

The expert's concerns are also raised by political appointments in many state-owned companies, which may have a significant impact on the level of competence of the management staff.

– adds the expert.

The General also argues that the administrative creation of the operator in the form proposed in the Act will not ensure the security of the state, and will even worsen this security.

– explains the general.

The expert therefore recommends diversifying and basing OSSB's operation on an infrastructural operator, and secondly - a virtual operator that can use the resources of all other operators in the country.

- argues the former government plenipotentiary for cybersecurity

Gen. Włodzimierz Nowak draws attention to one more aspect omitted by the KSC Act - the issue of IoT devices operating in the 5G network.

– sums up the expert.

See: The government-owned Polish 5G company will control 5G in the 700 MHz bandSee: Placing production in Asia is a mistake, but excluding China will not ensure security today

Image source: YouTube (IDG Poland)

Text source: Newseria Biznes