The General Service Administration (GSA) has announced the release of a new set of guidelines that Federal agencies should follow to securely purchase 5G technology to meet their missions.
The new plain-language guidance is written in a fashion that “supports an ongoing, multi-agency effort to document and share best practices for optimal 5G deployments,” GSA said.
“5G networks have the potential to be faster, more reliable, and serve many more devices — and could provide infrastructure to help with everything from smart buildings to telemedicine,” said Sonny Hashmi, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service.
“We’re pleased to be issuing this guidance to ensure that government can make the most of secure 5G in its efforts to deliver for the American people,” he added.
The push for the new guidance comes after Congress successfully passed the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020, which then led to the creation of the National Strategy to Secure 5G that intricately outlined how the United States will lead in the implementation of the new technology.
As part of that larger plan, GSA prepared the new guidance, which introduces agencies and their vendors to Best-In-Class acquisition vehicles that feature secure 5G services.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure that this guidance collects best practices from across the government,” said Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the Office of Information Technology Category at the GSA.
“We have confidence that it will go a long way toward helping Federal IT managers, contracting offices, and their industry partners work together to build secure 5G systems,” she said.
