Scientists Found a New Solution to Address Security In 5G Networks

Recent advances in software engineering and commodity computing advances have revolutionized the telecommunications industry in the past decade. Several kinds of network communication services are now virtualized in commodity computing servers, which is known as “Network Softwareisation”.

The critical network communication which works entirely as a software imposes significant security risk for telecommunications networks including 5G networks. Any nasty attempt to hamper these virtualized networks can potentially put the whole internet and its users at a risk.

A new study by the University of Bristol addresses this issue by demonstrating a ground-breaking solution for securing future critical communications infrastructures, including emerging 5G networks. The researchers of the study said the solution will enable 5G network operators to offer secure 5G services coupled with guaranteeing ultra-low-latency and high-bandwidth communications. This could be due to the novel combination of quantum virtualization technologies.

The scientists have developed a new, fully programmable network virtualization platform. It is developed by using quantum technologies for securing function virtualization.

It can operate across multiple 5G operators’ networks i.e., EE, O2, Vodafone etc. The platform uses advanced and standard virtualization technology for operating on-demand complex and collaborative 5G network services. In turn, using quantum cryptography and optical interconnection infrastructure to secure services and guarantee 5G Key Performance Indicators (3GPP KPIs).

Professor Reza Nejabati, the lead researcher of the study said, “Hardware and software technologies studied in this paper have the potential to revolutionize 5G networks. They empower network operators to leverage the flexibility and programmability offered by virtualization technology in order to create several kinds of internet services.

Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of the Smart Internet Lab, added: “5G networks have the ability to transform the communications industry over the next decade. However, security is a key concern for 5G deployment and is expressed widely in global media.

The study by the University of Bristol has pioneered on 5G and quantum technologies for past several years, which has led a number of landmark demonstrations of 5G benefits. With our report, we bring together our research strengths to provide an ultimate security solution for 5G networks.”

The work was carried out by the High-Performance Networks (HPN) Research Group at the University of Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab and following a competitive peer review selection process. The findings were presented yesterday at a highly prestigious post-deadline paper in the Optical Fibre Communication Conference (OFC), San Diego, USA.