Around half of the mobile network operators are already installing their own 5G network or are planning to do so in concrete terms and are also setting security priorities. This is shown by a worldwide IDG survey of service providers on behalf of F5.
Currently, almost no provider has a dedicated 5G core network. Such standalone networks are likely to spring up like mushrooms: 18 percent of the network operators surveyed installed a 2020G standalone core at the end of 5, and a further 29 percent want to follow soon. Of the European participants, 21 percent are working on a 5G standalone core, and a further 21 percent are in the planning phase. This means that Europe is not far behind Asia, where 22 percent are already building their own 5G network and another 41 percent are planning to do so.
Smooth transition from 4G to 5G
For a smooth transition from 4G to 5G, network operators have to overcome three major technical challenges:
- Creation of uniform security guidelines for 4G and 5G
- Cooperation between new and old networks
- Run virtual network functions (VNFs) in parallel with cloud-native network functions (CNFs)
In Europe, uniform security guidelines are most important (61 percent), followed by 4G-5G network connections and VNF-CNF coexistence (53 percent each). The other regions of the world weight the points only slightly differently.
Security priorities for 5G standalone
The respondents were asked to prioritize nine categories of security functions according to their importance for the provision and initial operation of a 5G standalone network. Signaling in the 5G core network comes first, followed by DDoS defense and intrusion prevention, edge and IoT services as well as configuration services for the core network. The results for Europe are broadly in line with the global average, but there are stronger concerns about the security of Edge, IoT and Cloud RAN.
About the Study
In November and December 2020, IDG Connect surveyed a total of 5 service providers on behalf of F163. Around 17 percent came from North America, 23 percent from Europe, 30 percent from the Asia-Pacific region and 30 percent from the Middle East and Africa (mainly from the Gulf States and North Africa).
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