What’s up with… 5G security, Verizon, Wipro, KPN

• EU member states assess their 5G supplier security risks
• Verizon’s sales take a hit
• Wipro targets the 5G edge
• KPN preps 5G launch with Huawei

An update on the exposure of European Union member states to “high risk” 5G technology suppliers and a Covid-19 kick in the financials for Verizon are the top picks in this telecom industry news roundup.

• A new report from the European Commission on Member States’ Progress in Implementing the EU Toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity found that a majority (14) of member states “evaluate their level of exposure to potentially high-risk suppliers as MEDIUM or HIGH,” while only three considered their exposure to be low. Eight member states either didn’t provide any information or deemed the information too sensitive to share, while “several” noted that they do. Not have “a framework in place for determining the risk profile of individual suppliers.” The report doesn’t identify which suppliers might be deemed as risky or include any reference to China, but notably an accompanying statement notes that while “measures aimed at restricting the involvement of suppliers based on their risk profile are already in place in a few Member States and at an advanced stage of preparation in many others… for those operators having already contracted with a high risk vendors, transition periods should be put in place.”
• Verizon has reported a 5.1% year-on-year decline in second quarter revenues to $30.4 billion. “This decline was primarily the result of significant declines in wireless equipment revenue in the Consumer and Business segments, primarily due to limited in-store engagement and the impact of COVID-19 on customer behavior,” it noted. The news came a day after AT&T reported a near 9% dip in second quarter sales to $41 billion. 
• Wipro has developed a 5G edge services solutions suite based on IBM technology. “Wipro will engage with clients to implement the Universal Edge solutions suite that leverages 5G network capabilities… [it] allows communications service providers and mobile tower operators to deploy their applications into dispersed edge devices,” notes Wipro in this announcement.
• Dutch national operator KPN is on track to launch its 5G network next week (July 28) using the 700MHz spectrum it has just secured. Its rivals, VodafoneZiggo and T-Mobile, also secured 5G spectrum in various bands. KPN says it’s planning new business-oriented services and - unmoved by US pressure (unlike some others) - is going to deploy Huawei gear. 
• MTS, Motorola, and Qualcomm say they’ve completed the testing of the flagship Motorola edge+ smartphone that supports the mmWave frequencies allocated for 5G in Russia. Sales from MTS’s retail stores are expected to start in the near future.
• The Spanish government has outlined a five-year plan for the country’s digital transformation called Spain Digital 2025 that involves investments totalling €140 billion (mostly private investments) and which includes a target to have all cellular spectrum ready for 5G by 2025. 
• Virtualized routing vendor Arrcus has unveiled a distributed router and a multi-cloud networking platform, as well as adding to its advisory board. One of the new names on that board is Dave Ward, a long-time senior Cisco networking executive who is now CEO at PacketFabric. For the full details, see this announcement. 

- The staff, TelecomTV