How to approach 5G policies Crisis management including national and international coordination. Telecoms need to assure both smooth functioning of their networks as well as safety of their own employees in this special unique situation. Collaboration between telecoms may be temporarily more important than competition. Some challenges and bottlenecks also need to be addressed by cross-border cooperation. There is a number of arguments against full duplication of nation-wide 5G infrastructures, which include: a need for extensive fiber investments, high capacity and initial underutilization of the newly built 5G networks, public preference to limit the number of built antennas, and the high cost of building full territorial coverage. The covid 19 crisis also highlighted situations when states need to provide urgent support to telecom infrastructures, such as emergency spectrum allocation or physical protection. A need for a highly protected and regulated digital communications infrastructure will also continue to grow due to the growing dependence of individuals, families, businesses and the public sector on digital services for health, security, emergency services, finance, transportation, utilities etc. The current wireless business model was designed by the policymakers 30-40 years ago. 5G and the covid 19 crisis are exposing the need to transform it. Such transformation would appear most likely to succeed when led by long-term visions and implemented in co-operation with multiple stakeholders. We recommend policymakers to play a constructive role in helping to establish such visions as well as helping to implement the following transformational processes: 1. Transformational changes in telecom infrastructure. The covid 19 crisis has made digital connectivity infrastructure more strategic for national interests than previously thought. This effect, which is unlikely to reverse, may accelerate a shift in priorities in some digital communications infrastructures away from competition towards regulation, safety and reliability. Policymakers should adjust their approach accordingly, also in the area of enforcing competition vs. specific quality requirements in infrastructure. 2. Transformational changes of telecoms towards national digital service providers, trustworthy and secure providers of nationwide connectivity and guardians of private and public data. Progressive telecom operators, which are willing to transform themselves to national digital service players, should find new opportunities in the national markets for secure digital consumer services, including in finance and health, secure personal data and national data sovereignty, personal data privacy protection and management, trustworthy media and content, trusted IoT solutions as well as helping to enable similar solutions for enterprise, including small and medium sized businesses. Policymakers should consider encouraging this type of visionary transformation of telecoms towards innovative providers of data-driven national digital services, importance of which for national economies will grow. Furthermore, in respect to the covid 19 crisis and potential future similar crises we recommend policymakers to play a role in the following responses: 3. Re-building economies digitally. As part of their effort to re-build economies in an innovative manner post the covid 19 induced slowdown, policymakers may support short-term investment into the digitalization of public services. They can also support the expansion of secure and easily accessible digital infrastructures in order to encourage private investment into the digitalization across all sectors in the economy in order to drive economic recovery. 4. Crisis solutions such as fast decisions to lend spectrum, collaboration between competitors or provision of special services to vulnerable groups, are warranted at times of crisis. Such decisions should be preferably made by consensus between the policymakers and the commercial entities involved. It should be clear to all sides that any crisis solutions are temporary, and they should not prejudice or adversely impact any long-term policy formation. 5. Use of personal data in crisis. If crises require moves that may compromise privacy of personal data, such decisions should be made by the policymakers, who take the ultimate political responsibility for handling the crisis, and not by private companies. The EU’s initiatives in terms of balancing privacy in the covid 19 tracing initiatives are worth noting. “ The covid 19 crisis may accelerate a shift in priorities away from competition towards regulation, safety and reliability in some digital communications infrastructures, while encouraging innovative competition and expansion in services. ” 5G as an opportunity to reform 43