The Telecommunication Industry Association

requirements, the QuEST Forum TL 9000 Quality Management System, part of TIA’s Business Performance Community, has a more than 20- year track record of success and can be adapted to address security. TIA is actively executing policy-related advocacy programs and is an active participant on the Department of Homeland Security’s ICT Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force. We have also formed a task force and committees to begin developing standards and comprehensive assessment programs that will define requirements and identify trusted manufacturers, buyers, suppliers, service providers, integrators, and contractors, while allowing these companies to monitor and continually improve the integrity of their products and services. CIOs, CISOs, supply chain and procurement leaders, designers of new products and services, and others can all participate in and have a say in the formulation of these much-needed standards. Through these industry-driven standards and programs, manufacturers, buyers and suppliers will benefit from the validation of the devices and components that they produce, purchase, and supply, while reducing the cost to comply with unnecessary trade restrictions and regulations. Communication and managed service providers, system integrators, and contractors will be able to drive consumer confidence by ensuring that their infrastructure and services that transmit, store, and analyze information are comprised of components, products, and systems from trusted and verified suppliers. Business owners and executives across all markets will also have confidence that their internal and external networks and systems utilize components and services from trusted companies, enabling them to ensure business continuity, faster time-to-market, and a competitive advantage. And state, local, and federal governments can focus their attention on threats that have a direct impact on national security and public health and safety. While industries like food, drug, aviation, and others have taken comprehensive measures to improve their security and safety, the need for global industry-driven ICT supply chain security standards and programs is long overdue. Low- latency networking, 5G, sensor technologies, and IoT are happening now and paving the way for next-generation technologies. Without ICT supply chain security standards and programs that give consumers the confidence that our vast, complex telecommunications network is secure, investment into and adoption of next-generation technologies will come to a screeching halt. Standards and programs driven by TIA will measure, assess, and benchmark the integrity of network components, devices, and services – and the companies that deliver them – thereby raising the bar on ICT supply chain security and enabling economic growth.