5G Impact on Organizations and Security

5G is positioned as the next generation of cellular communications intended to deliver a major step-change in mobile capacity, connectivity, and service flexibility, enabling the “cloud of things” and new bandwidth-intensive mobile data services. It is framed as a practical necessity for Industry 4.0 and large-scale connected environments—smart buildings, smart cities, and autonomous vehicles—because wiring every sensor and controller is infeasible. 5G introduces distinct capability profiles: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) for higher throughput; Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) for connecting very large numbers of low-power, low-cost IoT devices at scale; and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) for mission-critical applications like robotics and autonomous vehicles, where cloud-based computing can be effective only if the network is reliably low-latency.

A core architectural change is Network Slicing combined with a service-based architecture, moving beyond 4G LTE’s “one size fits all” approach by allowing logical partitions of the same infrastructure to deliver different service levels with guaranteed SLAs, potentially tailored to specific use cases or customers. 5G is still early in rollout: 3GPP Release 16 entered production in October 2019, with broader commercial IoT modules expected during 2020, and full spectrum availability still under discussion.

Security is treated as central because 5G carries massive volumes of sensitive data and can affect physical safety and critical infrastructure. The standards enhance encryption, authentication, and privacy (including protection of subscriber identifiers), but do not eliminate threats such as DDoS or radio jamming, and do not inherently provide end-to-end application-level protection. Organizations are advised to assess business impact, evaluate risks and SLAs, run trials, design end-to-end security from the start, and consider private 5G only where complexity and cost are justified.

• 5G is intended to support a massive increase in capacity and connectivity for IoT deployments and new mobile data services.
• Wired networks are not practical for connecting all sensors and controls needed for Industry 4.0, smart buildings, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities.
• 5G is designed to handle up to 1000 times greater data volumes and up to 100 times more connected devices than 4G.
• 5G can reduce communications latency and enable up to ten-year battery life for low-power devices.
• eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC are identified as key 5G capabilities, with mMTC described as the 3GPP term for IoT.
• 3GPP Release 16 went into production in October 2019 and was expected to be frozen in mid-2020.
• IoT modules for devices other than smartphones were expected to emerge commercially during 2020 based on Release 16.
• 4G LTE encrypted radio network traffic, while encryption on the backhaul was optional, commonly implemented with IPsec by operators.
• 5G protects the SUPI using public key-based encryption over the radio interfaces.
• 5G security enhancements do not inherently protect against DDoS attacks or radio jamming.

• “The move to 5G mobile communications is intended to support the massive increase in capacity and connectivity that will be required for the future cloud of things.”
• “It is not practical to use wired networks for all the sensors and controls that are needed to enable industry 4.0, smart buildings, autonomous vehicles and smart cities.”
• “Using a technology known as ‘Network Slicing’ and a Service Oriented Architecture 5G is able to provide multiple levels of service with guaranteed SLAs using the same wireless infrastructure.”
• “The consequences of security failure in many of the potential use cases go way beyond data leakage to include physical harm and large-scale disruption.”
• “The skills required for this should not be underestimated.”
• “While the data in transit in 5G is protected by encryption, it does not provide end-to-end protection.”
• “The potential to compromise the traffic control across a whole city or to disconnect energy supplied through millions of smart meters means that 5G must be treated as a component of critical national infrastructures.”
• “Not all key capabilities are being made available by all network service providers from day one.”
• “Most organizations will find it more effective to buy a tailored service from an existing cellular network service provider.”
• “One of the opportunities provided by 5G is that by using an embedded SIM the device identity can be more rigorously authenticated and the integrity and confidentiality of communication better ensured.”