Fears arise as 5G handsets set to debut
I think this will be fundamental for 5G deployment: the capacity for different networks and services to share the same infrastructure but be isolated and segregated from each other. This is very important as we are looking at devices that will process sensitive information from public safety, critical infrastructure and health care.
FEARS are rising over health issues even as most major phonemakers prepare to launch new devices for the fifth generation of mobile data technology.
As many as 20 smartphone makers are planning new devices for the 5G technology, according to Deloitte.
The latest generation of wireless networks are expected to reach consumers early next year, promising faster download speeds, better connections and wider coverage.
Several smartphone brands including Samsung, Huawei and OnePlus have already promised to launch “5G-ready” handsets next year. Apple is expected to hold back on launching a 5G phone until 2020.
There will be one million 5G smartphones sold in 2019, compared with the 1.5 billion handsets sold worldwide, according to Deloitte’s upcoming Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions.
But will the arrival of 5G technology be a boon to security or present a whole new set of problems for the industry to
Rod Soto, director of security research for Jask
address? Would users worldwide face serious health issues?
Research from Ericsson asserts that security has been built into 5G from the ground up; on the other, an Inverse report warns that 5G’s inevitable internet of things ( IoT) wave could create massive security headaches.
Security considerations aside, it’s hard not to marvel at the potential applications that 5G will pioneer. Holograms via mobile? Check, according to CNET. Augmented (AR) and virtual reality ( VR) on a mobile network? Check, according to Forbes. The same goes for boosts to self- driving cars, remote medicine and especially the Internet of Things ( IoT), according to USA Today.
As for security, the Ericsson white paper underscored five core properties built into 5G networks: resilience, communication security, identity management, privacy and security assurance.
According to the paper, “5G security provides a level of trustworthiness that enables the 5G system to meet the requirements of the vast majority of these use cases from the end user, service provider, and regulatory perspectives. The trustworthiness not only originates from a set of security features, but also from system design principles and implementation considerations that have all been applied with a holistic and risk-based mindset.”
Rod Soto, director of security research for Jask, said he has kept track of the security ramifications of 5G and maintained that it’s still a work in progress. One security aspect that stands out, however, is network slicing.
“I think this will be fundamental for 5G deployment: the capacity for different networks and services to share the same infrastructure but be isolated and segregated from each other,” Soto said. “This is very important as we are looking at devices that will process sensitive information from public safety, critical infrastructure and health care.”— Agencies