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

– 67% - will deploy their first commercial 5G networks within 18 months and
another 20 percent 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
recognises 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
cyber criminals.”

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

New Revenue Opportunities and Use Cases

Realising 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:
– 60% - Smart cities
– 48% - Industrial automation and smart manufacturing
– 39% - High-speed connectivity
– 37% - Fixed wireless
– 35% - Connected vehicles

Assessing 5G Security Needs

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

– 63% - Advanced DDoS protection is 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.”

Survey Methodology

In partnership with A10 Networks, the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network
conducted a global survey of communications service providers to understand industry
intentions, priorities and concerns about 5G. The study includes a survey of 145 IT
and business leaders at communications service providers globally.