US President Donald Trump highlighted 5G security as a key part of the country’s agenda at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19), naming it as one of three primary objectives.

Trump said US representatives at the conference, which kicked off today (28 October) in Egypt, will “cooperate with like-minded nations to promote security in all aspects of 5G networks nationwide”.

He added other priorities include enabling the rapid deployment of 5G services, and maintaining domestic leadership to make “5G a technology force for benefitting peoples’ lives” rather than a tool to expand control over citizens and “sow discord among nations”.

Though Trump did not mention Huawei, the letter comes as the US presses ahead with a campaign against the Chinese equipment vendor, aiming to prevent the use of its equipment in 5G networks due to security fears.

Spectrum spat
WRC-19 runs until 22 November and will feature discussions about which spectrum bands to use for mobile and satellite services, along with scientific uses including weather forecasting. The goal is to harmonise global frequency allocations as much as possible.

Last month, industry association GSMA urged delegates to allocate more mmWave frequencies for mobile use, arguing high band spectrum will be key to making 5G a success.

However, disputes are expected. Earlier this year, the mobile and scientific communities in the US clashed over the allocation of certain mmWave bands for 5G, with the latter arguing it could interfere with critical weather forecasting sensors.