Unthinkable Lab: Sovereignty and Resilience in an Unthinkable Age

Realistic models and real-life examples of delivering sovereignty in telecoms and technology amid a new of era geo-political and technological disruptions.

In Brief

Geopolitical changes have made tech and data sovereignty red hot. But how achievable is it and what are the realistic, sustainable models? This lab is for telcos, technology companies, government and industry bodies seeking to deliver sovereign capabilities to customers and nations. It will identify:

• What are the defensible components and goals of sovereignty?
• What are the realistic models and examples – and what are the timescales?
• Where are the key scenarios and addressable roles for telecoms?
• What are the key actions required by stakeholders?

Context

In an increasingly dog-eat-dog world, one of the biggest fears at regional, nation-state, corporate and personal levels is the security of ‘sovereignty’. For each type of actor, this means having compliant and demonstrable control over assets and capabilities that are essential to its function, identity, security and privacy. The assets include infrastructure, hi-tech manufacturing supply chains, software, communications, data and processing, for example.

The Sovereignty Squeeze

Europe, the UK, Canada and many countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia are increasingly caught in the middle between a revitalised ‘Monroe Doctrine’ paradigm emerging in the US, China’s power in the eastern hemisphere, and expanding Russian ambitions.

They are highly dependent on global technology stacks and supply chains, with decreasing confidence in international laws, and too interconnected for sovereignty to mean isolation.

This places telecom operators in a difficult position: They are expected to deliver national resilience, while relying on global platforms they do not control.

Interconnected Instabilities

Sovereignty faces significant real and potential threats from state rivals, partners in other jurisdictions, criminals and accidental breaches. Moreover, in a democracy, a change of government may lead to a change of posture on policy.

The problem is compounded by the interconnectedness of the different types of assets and capabilities, across layers and geographies. For example, an infrastructure breach may be caused by a data failing, an identity issue or a vulnerability in an adjacent (but separate) system.

And how is it possible to be truly sovereign when fundamental components of this ecosystem (such as semiconductors, hyperscale cloud, AI models and key software players) are owned by US or Chinese companies? The reciprocal is also true, if other governments consider the irreplaceability of firms such as Ericsson, ARM or ASML.

Some services and enablers are inherently international in jurisdiction – for instance spectrum, orbiting satellites, aviation systems and subsea cables. How do they fit into the sovereignty drive?

Untangling the Sovereignty Spaghetti

This Unthinkable Lab will seek to untangle the sovereignty spaghetti and develop a common viewpoint across multiple stakeholder groups (such as telcos, tech giants and startups, governments, regulators, industry bodies, investors and enterprises).

The core questions are “what aspects of sovereignty matters to whom?” And “what should we do or invest in to achieve that?”

We will seek to map the risks and opportunities, explore what’s possible, and share examples of sovereign propositions and strategies, encouraging open dialogue and respectful challenge between experts in a Chatham House rule environment. We will focus on telecom and network aspects, but also fundamental adjacencies and enablers, such as semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, devices and internet of things.

Format

This Unthinkable Lab is a highly interactive session working under the Chatham House rule, which means that comments cannot be attributed without permission. Anti-trust is respected and expected. By following these principles, and with intensive curation, injection of expert content, and active facilitation, we ensure the most productive debate and exchange of views.

Who should attend?

This Unthinkable Lab is designed for senior executives and decision-makers involved in strategy, policy, investment and innovation within the telecom sector, including:

• Mobile and fixed telco CxOs, and technology, strategy and regulatory teams: Are we aware of the latest developments and possibilities, and have we reflected the opportunities and risks in our plans and portfolio?
• Technology vendors and infrastructure providers: Do our customers understand where we are going and the benefits? Do we have the right offerings for their needs?
• Regulators and government: Do we have the right regime in place?
• Telecom users and representative groups: What do we want and need from sovereignty from telecoms and technology players, and do they understand our needs?
• Investors: Where might there be opportunities for investment, M&A, etc?
• Industry analysts and consultants: Participate and share your wisdom.

Secure your place now to explore new answers, shape the future of European telecoms strategy, and build valuable connections.