Of course it would be good if the telecom infrastructure were open, secure, and auditable. But there are some barriers:
You cannot make communications secure AND enable interception. You are required to provide undetectable (even to network management systems)interception for (IIRC) 1% of traffic. This has to be controlled from an off-site LI console at law enforcement agencies.
And that's just the tip of the surveillance iceberg.
There are parts of a 5G system that could be open source, like most of the RAN, since LI happens in the mobile switching center. But for these parts of the network, the equipment providers could just be required to make their code public and audit it. Possibly needs patent suit protection, but that would get you there fastest.
As others on this thread have pointed out the whole telecom gear game is wildly unsuited for open systems for a whole bunch of other reasons.
Of course it would be good if the telecom infrastructure were open, secure, and auditable. But there are some barriers:
You cannot make communications secure AND enable interception. You are required to provide undetectable (even to network management systems)interception for (IIRC) 1% of traffic. This has to be controlled from an off-site LI console at law enforcement agencies.
And that's just the tip of the surveillance iceberg.
There are parts of a 5G system that could be open source, like most of the RAN, since LI happens in the mobile switching center. But for these parts of the network, the equipment providers could just be required to make their code public and audit it. Possibly needs patent suit protection, but that would get you there fastest.
As others on this thread have pointed out the whole telecom gear game is wildly unsuited for open systems for a whole bunch of other reasons.