2 in 3 cellcos plan to deploy 5G within 18 months

Mobile service providers anticipate significant new revenue opportunities from the coming deployment of high-speed 5G networks and a host of new IoT-driven use cases

According to a new survey fielded by the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network, in partnership with A10 networks, but they also believe much-improved security will be essential to realizing that potential.

The new study report, “Securing the Future of a Smart World,” demonstrates that carriers are moving decisively toward 5G commercialization and that security is a top concern.

• 67% will deploy their first commercial 5G networks within 18 months and another 20% within two years
• 94% expect growth in network traffic, connected devices and mission-critical IoT use cases to significantly increase security and reliability concerns for 5G networks
• 79% say 5G is a consideration in current security investments

“Mobile carriers anticipate significant revenue opportunities and exciting new use cases as they move forward with their 5G deployments. However, the industry also recognizes that 5G will dramatically raise the stakes for ensuring the security and reliability of these networks,” said Gunter Reiss, vice president of A10 Networks.

“New mission-critical applications like autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and remote patient monitoring will make network reliability vital to the safety and security of people and businesses. Meanwhile, dramatic increases in traffic rates and connected devices will significantly expand the attack surface and scale for cybercriminals.”

Operators still have a significant amount of work ahead to fortify their networks for the coming of 5G. For example, while more than 80% of mobile operator respondents say they will need to upgrade Gi/SGi firewalls at the core of their networks, only 11% have completed the implementation of new Gi/SGi firewalls.

Realizing the potential of full-scale 5G networks requires major investments by carriers—and payback on that spend is a crucial issue for the telecommunications industry. Operators see significant opportunities to increase revenues and innovate new business models.

The top-three benefits derived from 5G

• 67% – Overall growth in the mobile market
• 59% – Better customer service and satisfaction
• 43% – The creation of new 5G-enabled business models

Top drivers for 5G

• 61% – Smart cities
• 48% – Industrial automation and smart manufacturing
• 39% – High-speed connectivity
• 35% – Connected vehicles
• 37% – Fixed wireless

Assessing 5G security needs

Chief among security concerns are core network security and DDoS protection.

• 63% – Advanced DDoS protection the most important security capability needed for 5G networks.
• 98% of respondents said core network security was either very important (72%) or important (26%) in 5G build-outs.
• 79% have or will upgrade their Gi/SGi firewalls
• 73% have or will upgrade their GTP firewall

“Operators overwhelmingly understand the importance of upgrading security in a more connected and smart world,” continued Reiss.

“Now it’s time to take decisive action. Carriers need to move ahead aggressively with their plans to upgrade legacy DDoS protection and consolidate security services at the core and edge of their networks to address the growing concerns. A10 Networks 5G security solutions including Gi/SGi firewall, GTP firewall and AI-based DDoS protection enable operators to secure and scale their networks now and protect against the massive cyber threat coming with 5G.”