May 25, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania approved laws amending and supplementing the Law on Electronic Communications and the Law on the Protection of Objects of Importance to Ensuring National Security to ensure that only trusted manufacturers and suppliers will be allowed to provide the fifth generation (5G) mobile network infrastructure when it is introduced in Lithuania.
“Lithuania has made a pivotal geopolitical choice today: the Seimas has passed law amendments which stipulate that only trusted, Western-manufactured, equipment, shall be used in the development of 5G networks in Lithuania,” said Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius. Vice Minister also underscored that such important decision would not had been possible without the vast support in the Government, President’s office, the Seimas’ Committee on National Security and Defence, and the leadership of the Ministry of National Defence.
The adopted amendments to the laws delegate power to the Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania to collect and store information about the hardware, devices and software used for providing 5G services. The decisions of compliance of such equipment, based on the national security interests, will be made by the Governmental Commission for Coordination of Protection of Objects of Importance to Ensuring National Security.
One of the main criteria in defining the trusted manufacturer is its registration in NATO and/or European Union Member State, and membership in the European Free Trade Organization and/or OECD.
According to the adopted amendments to the laws, in cases where the electronic communications operator already uses hardware, devices or software that do not meet the national security standards, a transition period for the replacement is foreseen until the end of 2025. The replacement timeframe has been set on the basis of both the practices in place in other EU Member States, and the operational lifecycle of telecommunications technologies.
The mutual objective to minimize risks arising from the 5G network development is embedded in the EU Toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity adopted by the European Commission in early 2020 and the Memorandum of Understanding of the Republic of Lithuania and the United States of America on a secure and resilient 5G architecture signed in the autumn of 2020.
