Making 5G a Trusted Network Part II: Devices

Agnes Mends-Crentsil

January 28th, 2022

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In his two-part series focused on 5G, NETSCOUT Chief Solutions Architect Dr. Vikram Saksena underscores the considerations that must be addressed to make 5G a trusted network. Part II highlights cybersecurity and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

As the IoT universe expands to smart devices that can monitor and adjust complex operations in real-time, 5G will be the fundamental enabler for mass adoption. It's estimated that within the next five years 5G networks will need to support more than 21 billion IoT devices capable of transforming workflows to dramatically improve efficiencies in every industry.

Unlike consumer-based IoT devices, enterprise 5G IoT devices will need network-based protection to prevent both inbound and outbound attacks, to support non-mission-critical services for massive machine type communication (mMTC). Enterprises will also need to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) for mission-critical use cases such as telemedicine and transportation. Both services will demand strict requirements for service level agreement (SLA) for performance, reliability, and security.

Although security is a critical factor for preventing service interruptions, enterprises must also consider latency issues that may arise from misconfigured networks-issues that can result in severe consequences such as malfunction of individual devices and connection and authentication failures.

Dr. Saksena concludes by emphasizing the path carriers should undertake to fully realize the benefits from the existing skill set and experience of network operators to succeed at protecting a disaggregated 5G network architecture.

Agnes Mends Crentsil is a product marketing manager on the Technical Marketing team at NETSCOUT.