Building a 5G world we can all trust

5G brings ubiquitous connectivity.

Low-latency, accessible-anywhere 5G can connect 100 times more devices per square kilometer than 4G.

It can move data at up to 100x higher speeds.

So 5G will be the motor of digital transformation. It is already powering the creation of tomorrow's big industries: autonomous transport, virtual reality gaming, remote surgery, and more.

Analysts expect the commercial impact of 5G to be huge. GSMA predicts that 5G will add $2.2 trillion to the world economy by 2034. Yes, you read that right.

For a Covid-afflicted world, 5G can’t come soon enough.

Thanks to lockdowns and social distancing, people are loosening their attachment to physical transactions and meetings. They are choosing digital alternatives instead. The pandemic has accelerated a change that was already underway. There’s no going back.

Thus 5G is coming with its challenges and opportunities.

Thales has the products and services to help you flourish in this exciting next phase.

The five big challenges of the 5G era

This represents a fantastic opportunity for telcos. But with this opportunity come five major challenges.

5G – A virtual agile network

5G is not just faster 4G – it’s an entirely new type of network

Currently, most 5G ‘non-standalone’ deployments are built on existing 4G infrastructure. However, to unlock 5G’s full potential the industry is building a new type of network. 

This ‘standalone’ 5G Core will be ‘cloud-native’. Its foundational technologies (Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networking) will turn many physical network components into the software.

Virtualization brings new security risks. When a network resides in software, there is a danger of cross-contamination and data leakage. Automation can also speed up the spread of bad decisions and malware. Malicious actors are waiting to take advantage of these flaws.

Another major challenge is identity. If there are tens of billions of machines on the network, how can we stop them from being compromised – and how can we trust the data they send?

5G networks

Customer relationships go digital

5G will accelerate the switch to digital customer relationships

Every industry is grappling with the migration away from physical products and transactions to digital alternatives. Telcos are not immune to this. Many MNOs and CSPs still run ‘analogue’ services. They on-board and upgrade customers in high street stores. They run customer care from call centres.

Telcos need to explore virtual alternatives that provide delightful services to customers who are not physically present. 

In every scenario, the key to success is data. MNOs should be able to look at digital interactions with the network to better understand individual subscribers’ behaviour. Armed with these insights, they can provide digital services that are genuinely personalised.

Digital Customer relationships

Massive roll-outs of connected objects become possible.

Previous cellular generations connected people - 5G will connect machines.

According to Ericsson, there will be more than 22 billion connected IoT devices by 2024. This is a huge opportunity for telcos. But it’s not straightforward. Connecting cars and water meters is very different from connecting smartphones.

The majority of IoT devices are low-cost, small, limited in processing power, and battery-driven. They might be located in harsh environments and expected to run for decades. 

The nature of the network connection is another variable. Some devices require low bandwidth over short distances. Others need short bursts of high bandwidth over long-distance. These unique qualities demand a new approach to connectivity and security.

Connected Objects

Enterprises gain communications autonomy

5G will introduce private networks. It will give enterprises "communications autonomy."

In a 5G world, enterprises will be able to run their own private network ‘slices.’ However, running an in-house network demands security competencies. It generates sensitive data, which must be encrypted at rest and in motion. Enterprises should make sure only authorised personnel can access this data. 

In the past, only verticals such as government, aviation, and defence considered these questions. But 5G and the IoT will change this. Smaller enterprises from a variety of sectors will come into the market. 

Telcos can help. They can be "security as a service" partners to these enterprises. But it won’t be easy. Historically, MNOs focused on enabling security for smartphones. In the 5G world, they will need to extend this expertise across many device types and industry verticals.

Enterprise private networks

The data-driven network must be cyber secured

5G will ramp up threats to cybersecurity and data privacy

Historically, the mobile industry has done a good job of deterring cyberattacks. But the confluence of the factors mentioned above – virtual 5G Core, private network slicing, IoT connections – will bring new threats.
5G is the first cellular generation to launch in the era of global cybercrime perpetrated by organized syndicates and even nation-states.

The virtual nature of the 5G network core gives these attackers new entry points. Virtualization means data is no longer stored centrally but at the ‘edge.’ 5G also exponentially increases the number of connected devices.

5G and Cybersecurity

What Thales brings to Telcos: Connect, Protect, Predict

Thales has a mission to build a 5G world we can all trust.
We do this through a range of products and services for the benefits of Carrier Service Providers (CSP).