5G Fifth Generation Mobile

The need to move to 5G

The cost of passing ever-increasing traffic through the networks of telecom operators as of 2019 is not covered by income from traditional services. The search for new services, the so-called. "Killer application" of traditional telecom platforms usually does not give the expected results.

Meanwhile, the main growth in traffic and income is not in the people's device sector, but in the Internet of Things device sector, which is one of the basic goals of 5G functionality.

Therefore, 5G networks can be considered one of the necessary components of digital transformation and the digital economy.

We see that the United States and China are rapidly leading in 5G. Switzerland is also rushing forward, Australia, Japan, Korea are already doing early 5G projects. I think the governments of these countries understand that 5G is indeed an important national infrastructure, "said Borje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson.

5G standardization

The standardization of 5G technologies and solutions should be completed by 2021, so the term 5G so far refers to only fragmented solutions that will be part of the full-scale IMT2020 solution in the future. Such solutions are already being deployed in different countries, but they are still local and test in nature, and do not provide all the planned functionality of IMT2020 standard networks.

Major 5G Standardizing Organizations

As of 2019:

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is an alliance of seven organizations developing various telecommunications standards, which, in turn, include other partners. The task of 3GPP is to formulate technical requirements, evaluate proposals, and finally adopt standards. In mid-2017, a version of the general Release 15 standard was adopted, and Release 16 is currently being developed, which will be adopted in 2019. In addition to developing a general architecture, 3GPP is also developing 5G New Radio (NR) radio technology standards for new frequency bands allocated for 5G.

ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute), the European Standards Institute telecommunication , which is a member of 3GPP and is most active in the development of 5G standards.

IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) develops IP protocol modernization solutions to support virtualization of Network Fusion Vitrualization (NFV) network functions. For example, IETF has developed the Service Function Chaining (SFC) technology, which combines virtualized components of the 5G architecture, such as base stations, service gateways and data packets in a single route. This allows dynamic creation and coupling of Virtual Network Functions (VNF). The IETF works closely with 3GPP.

ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is a UN agency located in Geneva that standardizes a wide range of telecommunications technologies. In particular, it coordinates the joint use of the radio frequency spectrum, including for 5G networks.

In addition to these three main coordinating organizations, there are a number of others in which systematic practical work is underway to develop IMT2020 (5G) standards.

5GPPP (5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership) is considered one of the leading 5G standardization partnerships. The organization sets ambitious goals for developing 5G network requirements, for example, a 1000-fold fascination with network capacity, a 90% reduction in user device power consumption, a significant reduction in the time for creating new services and services, full and secure network coverage and negligible data transmission delay, etc.

NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) Alliance. The Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance is engaged in standardizing the full range of 5G solutions. The alliance includes the leadership of leading American operators: AT&T, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.

In addition to those indicated, there are industry and regional organizations such as 5G Americas, Small Cell Forum, which also contribute a lot to the development and standardization of 5G solutions.

Large telecom operators such as AT&T, Verizon and others also make a great contribution to the development of standards. They coordinate with ETSI and ITU, but sometimes they are ahead of these organizations. Therefore, the solutions of these operators often form the basis of ETSI and ITU standards.

Purpose and purpose of 5G networks

Mobile networks of previous generations had the following purposes and functionality:

• 1G: Analog Voice Services
• 2G: Voice over Digital Network Services, Low Speed Data Services (GPRS, EDGE)
• 3G: High-speed data services (HSPA), with voice over IP, mobile Internet access MBB (Mobile Broadband).
• 4G: Mobile MBB broadband based on LTE, LTE-A, voice transmission (VoLTE)

5G networks significantly expand the limited functionality of mobile networks of previous generations. The main functional features of 5G networks are the following:

• Enhanced MBB Mobile Broadband
• Ultra Low Latency Reliable Communication (ULLRC)
• Massive Machine IoTIIoT Type Communication

Based on these three generalized types of functionality, an entire variety of services and capabilities of IMT2020 (5G) networks are built, the most characteristic of which are shown in the figure below:

Gigabytes per second. 5G networks are able to significantly increase the data transfer rate through various radio access technologies (RAT), and by using new spectra of 5G NR (New Radio) radio frequencies. The user receives almost unlimited bandwidth, both for home use of various services, and for the purposes of enterprises (Immersive Telepresence, Industrial IoT, etc.)

Smart home. A whole range of various Internet of Things (IoT) services will be available for the Smart Home and Smart Building solution: video surveillance, control and automation of household appliances, security systems management, content storage, climate, etc.

Smart city. The Smart City solution is horizontal and vertical scaling of the functionality and spectrum of services. " Smart home The main services of Smart City are: Safe City, e-Government e-Government, e-Health e-Education health care e-Education, e-Bank e-Banking HOUSING AND PUBLIC UTILITIES , Smart Meters electronic reading collection, smart power grids, etc Smart Grid.

New video services 4K/8K: Volumetric video, ultra-high definition (UHD) screen, the possibility of a presence effect.

Working in the cloud. The service makes it possible not only to store data in cloud storage and extract it from there, but also to use application programs that work directly from the cloud. Moreover, with the possibility of their use on any device and from any location. In addition, it is possible to use API application programming interfaces through which cloud service providers can provide their services to subscribers of the 5G network operator.

Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). VR (Virtual Reality) immerses a person in a different world, affecting his senses, primarily vision (VR glasses). AR (Augmented Reality) augmented reality service combines a real environment for the user with virtual objects. These services are suitable not only for entertainment, games, virtual communication in the "telepresence" mode, but also can significantly improve the learning process, when students using VR glasses can, for example, clearly see the internal structure of a person at a lecture on anatomy, a master in the workshop can study the procedure for assembling a complex unit, etc.

Industrial automation. The 5G network, coupled with IoT IoT technology, using industrial IIoT (Industrial Internet of things) sensors, as well as AI (AI, Artificial Intelligence) artificial intelligence, can significantly increase the degree of automation of production. At the same time, it becomes possible to analyze large amounts of heterogeneous data (Big Data) in real time and based on the obtained conclusions (insights) and using Machine learning, Deep learning.

Mission Critical Applications. These applications may include, for example, e-Health, Mission Critical Communication, tactile internet Tactile Internet, and others.

Driverless Vehicles. Unmanned vehicles can act as part of the Smart City service, however, they can be provided on their own platform. It includes not only driverless cars, but also unmanned tractors for smart agriculture, unmanned trains for the metro and suburban railways, drones and other types of public and special transport. In addition, ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) driver assistance systems can be implemented on the 5G platform.

It should be emphasized that the figure above shows only some services and solutions of the 5G platform. Unlike networks of previous generations, the range of services of which was severely limited and somewhat expanded in 4G, the services of the 5G platform are synergistic and scalable in nature, and are not limited to once specified functionality. In fact, 5G plays the role of a platform for DevOps's new service and application development mode, where new features are created by developers (Development) in close coordination with the teams responsible for their implementation and Operation.

In general, we can say that the 5G network includes not only mobile, but also fixed communication services, as well as high-speed Internet access with a low delay (see figure below), and, moreover, specialized and corporate networks for vertical sectors of the economy.

Due to the fifth generation networks, it will also be possible to improve the quality of use of existing services where large volumes of traffic are involved.

Theodore Sizer, vice president of wireless technology at Bell Labs, noted that many different devices will work in 5G networks. Smartphones and tablets will not go anywhere, but, in addition to them, a whole "zoo" of various devices will appear on the network, including video surveillance cameras, weather sensors, sensors of "smart" electric networks, "smart" houses and cars.

Ericsson said that 5G will begin the long-term development of the Networked Society:

We are on the verge of an incredible revolution that will change our world forever. In this new world, every person, every device, regardless of where they are, will exchange information in real time. Over the next 10 years, our society will undergo more changes than in the last 100 years. And this is just the beginning.

The number of devices interacting with the Internet and with each other is constantly increasing. Better networks are needed that can provide this interaction in the most efficient way possible. New generation networks are opening up new opportunities in many areas - from improving the efficiency of production processes, improving safety on the roads and in the city as a whole, to improving utilities and a cleaner environment, "said John Healy, representative of the Communication & Storage Infrastructure Group at Intel.

South Korean operator SK Telecom is one of the first companies to demonstrate 5G technologies in action, at the initial stage of the deployment of new generation networks it focuses on ordinary users as the main consumers of services, representatives of the company told TAdviser in February 2016. Thanks to 5G, users will be able to watch 3D TV without glasses, download in seconds or watch UltraHD video online at high speed.

It will also be possible to use virtual and augmented reality applications at a new level, SK Telecom notes. For example, incorporate augmented reality elements into the educational process, creating virtual museums and models of the universe in classrooms.

In smart cities projects, 5G will allow you to transfer information from many more sensors at various sites in real time. Senior Director of Qualcomm for Mobile Technology Product Management Sanjeev Athalye notes that it will be possible to deploy a thousand sensors instead of a hundred, for which fewer base stations will be enough to service than with existing networks. These can be, for example, sensors for monitoring the state of housing and communal services facilities, sensors for "smart lighting" or sound sensors installed for safety and order in the city. In the latter case, sensors can detect suspicious or too loud sounds, and this information will be automatically transmitted to law enforcement services.

New services using 5G can be implemented in medicine. For example, to organize remote monitoring of patients. The doctor will be able to quickly receive information from special sensors and monitor the condition of patients around the clock.

With very low data delays, 5G will also open up more room for remote operations using the robot. Such a service is especially relevant for small settlements where there are no surgeons on the ground: by controlling the manipulations of the robot, an operation can be carried out by a specialist located in a completely different place. Due to 5G, such a service can be deployed in wireless networks.

The low data latency that next-generation networks can provide is also important for deploying smart power networks. The use of sensors will allow you to instantly detect damage on the power line and block the spread of the consequences of damage further along the line. Thus, the damage will affect a smaller number of electricity consumers.

In large manufacturing companies, in retail, 5G logistics will make it possible to use more industrial robots that perform various functions instead of humans, as well as drones. The latter are already used in some industries, but are most often controlled using Wi-Fi networks. 5G will cover a greater distance than Wi-Fi networks, and due to low delays, it will increase the stability of such systems. Amazon, for example, has a project to deploy a system for delivering goods using drones .

An example of services for which 5G will have the advantage is city video surveillance systems. 5G will help simplify their deployment and use. Now traffic from thousands of cameras in cities is mainly transmitted over fixed networks. Deploying such an infrastructure is not an easy task, since you need to lay many wires. With 5G, it will be possible to receive high-resolution terabytes of video without using wires.

Another example is the transport monitoring service in companies. Qualcomm's Sanjeev Atali believes that with the advent of new generation networks, operators who act as providers of such a service will be able to reduce its cost. This will be possible due to the fact that the cost of one 5G base station will be lower than the cost of stations for existing networks, and also due to the fact that one base station will be able to simultaneously serve more devices, respectively, fewer base stations will be required for the service.

Practical benefits of 5G

The 5G network platform provides significant advantages for operators, primarily in expanding the functionality and characteristics of the network (performance) and increasing user satisfaction (User Experience). The figure below shows the main parameters of the IMT2020 (5G) network, compared to the IMT-Advanced (4G) indicators that allow you to achieve this.

Peak speed: The 5G network provides 20 times bòlshuyu speed compared to 4G, that is, about 20 Gbps.

The speed per user (average) can reach 100 Mbps or more.

Spectrum efficiency, the amount of information that can be transmitted per unit frequency band, in a 5G network will be at least 3 times higher than in 4G.

User mobility, the speed at which a user with a 5G terminal can move over the coverage area of ​ ​ the network without losing handover between base stations, in a 5G network reaches 500 km/h, which makes it possible to use 5G services on high-speed trains.

Latency on a 5G network is reduced to 1ms or less, while a minimum of 10 millisecond delay can be achieved on a 4G network. This allows the use of 5G technology for critical communications and video surveillance, tactile internet services, AR/VR, etc.

The density of terminals in the 5G network increases by an order of magnitude and can reach several million devices per 1 square meters. km, that is, several tens or even hundreds of miniature devices (for example, IoT sensors) can be located on a 1 square meter of the surface.

The energy efficiency of the 5G network is an order of magnitude better than in the previous generation network.

The traffic capacity per unit area, that is, the data transfer rate is a square meter of the network coverage area, in 5G is two orders of magnitude higher than in a 4G network.

The figure below shows the ratios of importance for the main 5G functionality (advanced eMBB mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low-latency communications, massive inter-machine communications) of the 5G network parameters shown in the previous figure.

Innovative application of 5G in areas

• Facilities of a 5G-based smart health system to deal with the effects of public health emergencies;
• Private virtual networks of enterprises based on 5G, focused on the Internet and co-production;
• Large-scale application of new 5G technologies in smart energy supply networks (Smart Grid);
• Large-scale testing and implementation of synergistic transport systems (machine-road type) based on 5G;
• Applications demonstrating the possibilities of applying 5G technology in the field of "smart education";
• Creating a 5G-based smart port system;
• Building 5G-based infrastructure for 4K/8K UHD TV production and broadcasting.

5G in car evolution

Vehicle-to-Everytning (V2X) main article

Internet vehicles (IoV) is one of the developed scenarios for the use of 5G in the vertical industry. According to statistics, in 2020 the global C-V2X market (communication of a car with other cellular facilities) will exceed $86.7 billion. Another application scenario with recognized potential is the intelligent Internet of Things in combination with 5G (5G + AIoT) networks. In the 5G era, the amount of data increases dramatically, and the burden on cloud computing increases sharply. Enterprise customers need to move computing power to the periphery of the network. So they need smart terminals that can adapt flexibly to different scenarios. Such solutions can be combinations of the form "intelligent equipment for 5G + an industry solution based on the intelligent Internet of Things." The latter in this case can be used to determine scenarios, peripheral calculations and convergence of data from different channels (sensors) in order to implement digital, network and intellectual infrastructure in areas such as telecommunications, public administration, electricity^[1].

5G Solutions for Industry 4.0

The main article of the 5G solution for the Industry 4.0

Frequencies

Frequencies for 5G in Russia

Main article: Frequencies for 5G in Russia

2019: Problems with availability of free frequencies

As of 2019, 5G is expected to be used in various radio frequency spectra. However, in the range up to 6 GHz, including the 5 GHz allocated for Wi-Fi, there are still serious problems with the presence of free frequencies. The allocation of frequencies for 5G in the spectrum up to 6 GHz has already been agreed at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15, World Radiocommunication Conference) in 2015. Higher frequency bands will be allocated to the VKR-19^[2] 2019].

The use of low-frequency spectrum segments for 5G networks allows you to achieve optimal network coverage without massive investments in the development of network infrastructure.

Low frequencies provide good penetration of radio waves into the premises, which is very important for IoT. In particular, the 700 MHz range is important, designed for M2M communication systems, smart city and smart homes. For particularly reliable connection of such objects as, for example, self-driving cars, robots, industrial automation, 3.4-3.8 GHz ranges can be used. It is assumed that in the 5G era, operators will be allocated continuous frequency bands of 300-400 MHz.

High-frequency spectrum is needed by 5G networks to achieve data transfer rates up to 20 Gbps, in particular, to provide 3D video services in UHD format, AR/VR, cloud services for work and play, holographic communication, tactile Internet, etc. In particular, the possibility of using the bands 24.25-27.5 GHz and 37-43.5 GHz is being considered for this.

The figure below shows the planned distribution of 5G low-frequency spectrum in various countries and regions of the world according to the WRC-15.

According to the Research Institute of Radio (NIIR) and the Union of LTE Operators, the allocation of 5G frequencies for Russia will be determined by the purpose of frequency bands.

5G technology patents

A study by Rostelecom and the FIPS Project Office (December 2020), which studied the patent landscape of the 5G/6G, shows that at that time there are more than 29,000 patent families related to 5G and only 29 patent families related directly to 6G (back in 1150, the sixth generation is mentioned).

In recent years, perhaps due to the hype around the conflict between the United States and Huawei, it has somehow become accepted that Huawei is the leader in 5G patents. And this is really so - she has 4448 patent documents (patents and applications for them), while the following American Qualcomm and Korean Samsung have almost half that. But there are a few BUT!

Firstly, if you look at the key patents essential for standards (SEP), without which it is impossible to bring 5G equipment to the market, then Huawei is no longer the leader (it is in fourth place), and not even Qualcomm (fifth place), but Samsung (523 patent families). The authors call these SEP patents "royalty gold mines," referring to the possibility of super-profits on the sale of licenses for them. Secondly, Huawei has fewer patents than Qualcomm or Samsung.

Among Russian organizations that have patents for 5G technologies, researchers have identified only one - this is the Institute for Information Transmission Problems named after A.A. Karkevich of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Dedicated 5G networks

Main article: Dedicated cellular networks

5G New Radio (5G NR) technology

In order to meet the increasing requirements for mobile communications, technologies have been developed for 5G, combined under the general name "new 5G radio," 5G New Radio (5G NR). Compared to the radio interface in 4G networks, 5G NR has several important advantages.

The development of 5G NR was carried out almost "from zero," taking into account the requirements for 5G networks and using the best technologies that will be available by the time of the full-scale deployment of 5G networks. Thus, 5G NR uses the latest modulation technologies formations , waveforms (waveforms) and RAT (Radio Access Technology) radio access technologies, which, including, will provide high data transfer speed and extended battery life of 5G user devices.

Basic requirements of the 3GPP standard. Source: ITU, Nokia, Qualcomm

Preliminary requirements for 5G NR technology appeared in the 3GPP Release 15 standard, approved in December 2017, and it is expected that the final version will be approved in December 2019.

The main distinguishing features of 5G NR radio technology are as follows:

The addition of new radio spectrum bands, according to the requirements for signal transmission speed, the number of devices, the growth of traffic of numerous 5G applications. The new 5G NR bands range from 2.5 GHz to 40 GHz. Discussions are underway about the use of spectrum up to 100 GHz.

Optimized OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) technology. This technology has already been successfully applied to 4G/LTE-A as well as the latest versions of Wi-Fi.

Beamforming. This is a technology that has only moved from concept to implementation in recent years, and which is capable of realizing many of the advantages of 5G. Beamforming makes it possible to direct a beam of radio waves from the base station to certain devices, both moving and stationary, without affecting other beams aimed at the same devices.

MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output). MIMO - The method of spatial signal coding, which allows to increase the channel bandwidth, which has already been used in Wi-Fi and 4G, in 5G has been significantly improved, in particular, in the MU-MIMO (Multi-User-MIMO) multiplayer mode in 5G gNodeB (gNB) base stations, the antennas of which consist of an array of emitting elements. This makes it possible to amplify the signal strength for a particular user, while minimizing the influence of this signal on other users.

Spectrum sharing technologies. Many radio frequency spectra, appropriately distributed, are often not used efficiently. Spectrum sharing technologies have been developed to solve this problem.

Unified design across frequencies. With many new frequency bands added to 5G NR, it is important to provide an interface for interoperability when a channel transitions from one frequency to another during handover between base stations.

Small cells. The compaction of network coverage leads to the fact that the number of base stations should increase. Therefore, a Small Cells solution was proposed - a solution of inexpensive, easy to install and maintain base stations of low power. They can be hung on street lighting masts, on the walls of houses and other objects. The 5G network is able to effectively coordinate their work, redistributing the load between antennas.

In this case, you can use distributed antenna systems DAS (Distributed Antenna System) actually "closing" multi-storey buildings with one or more base stations. Small antennas with radio units can be located in almost every room, providing the best communication quality.

A single base station infrastructure and DAS can use multiple carriers at the same time.

5G Core Network Architecture

The peculiarity of the 5G network architecture is that the traditional concept of "network architecture" based on hardware solutions in a 5G network is losing its relevance.

Therefore, 5G is more often called not a network, but a system, or a "platform," which means a software platform, not a hardware one. If 1/2/3/4G networks were built on the basis of hardware solutions (equipment), then the 5G platform is built on the basis of software solutions, in particular, software-configured SDN (Software Defined Network) networks, as well as virtualization of network functions NFV (Network Function Virtualization).

5G functions are implemented in VNF (Virtual Network Function) virtual software functions that work in the NFV infrastructure. The difference between these similar-sounding concepts is that VNF is a function, and NFV is a technology. In turn, NFV is implemented in the physical infrastructure of data centers (data center, DC, data center, data center), based on the standard commercial equipment COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf). COTS equipment includes only three types of standard, relatively inexpensive devices - a server (computing device), a switch (network device) and a data storage system (storage device).

Thus, the equipment of traditional mobile communication networks is replaced with software entities operating in data centers on standard VM servers and virtual machines (virtual machines).

In addition to virtual machines, software containers and microservice software architecture will also be used to implement software functions.

The distributed architecture of the D-RAN mobile access network (Distributed RAN) in 4G networks is gradually evolving to a centralized C-RAN (Centralized RAN) architecture.

In 5G architecture, core network functions are implemented in the Central Cloud (Cloud RAN), on VM virtual machines.

Edge Cloud will also play an important role in the development of 5G networks, in particular, MEC (Mobile Edge Cloud) technology, as well as Fog Cloud.

Network virtualization based on NFV/SDN is also necessary for a very useful 5G function: Network Slicing.

Network Slicing technology allows, based on a single volume (pool) of network resources, to logically divide networks for various types of 5G services that require various RAT (Radio Access Technology) radio access technologies, with different characteristics of data transfer environments. These are, for example, services:

• UHD High Quality Video
• Voice Services (5G Voice)
• IoT with more sensors, sensors and actuators (Massive IoT)
• Internet of Things for critical applications such as unmanned vehicles (V2X), electronic medicine (Mission Critical IoT)
• and many others.

All these services provided on the basis of Network Slicing technology operate on a single physical infrastructure of data centers of the central and boundary clouds, as well as the "Fog Computing" infrastructure required for Massive IoT and Industrial IoT IIoT (Industrial IoT).

This makes it possible to reuse the once created software and hardware infrastructure, as well as flexibly reassign its cash resources. In addition, this approach allows you to reduce not only capital costs for the construction of the network, but also operating costs for its maintenance.

Network Slicing

5G uses a concept like network slicing. This is, roughly speaking, cutting network resources for different types of traffic, and for each slice (literally - a piece of network) its own data transmission technology can be used. Due to the flexibility of the approach, it is possible to meet a variety of and even contradictory requirements of different types of users. LTE is quite suitable for transmitting web data - it only needs to be slightly improved and speed up.

A special slice called ultra-reliable low latency communication will be used to transfer data with a small delay. It allows you to transfer data with extremely low latency. If in LTE the minimum transmission duration is one millisecond, then here the minimum transmission duration will last a fraction of a millisecond, and the reliability will be very high, up to 99.999%.

A separate slide within 5G is allocated to IoT. It allows you to transfer data to a large number of low-power devices.

In addition, there will be a slice for high-speed data transmission in the millimeter band, that is, in the frequency range from 30 to 300 GHz. For example, in the usual 2-5 GHz range, the width of the used frequency channel in which the data is transmitted is relatively small and is one, less often tens of MHz. In the range of 40-70 GHz, the spectrum available for use is significantly larger, which will increase the frequency channel width to hundreds and thousands of MHz or more. Thus, the millimeter band is practically the "infinity equivalent" for operators (in terms of the amount of channel resources available). The problem is that you have to transfer data only to devices that are in line of sight, otherwise the signal quality drops sharply^[3].

In some ways, 5G will become a "puff pie," combining different technologies, the use of each of which will be determined depending on the requirements of a particular user.

СRAN, Cloud RAN, cloud-based RAN, Centralized RAN

Main article: CRAN, Cloud RAN, cloud-based RAN, Centralized RAN

5G network security

2022: Scientists confirm danger of 5G network

Scientists have confirmed the danger of a 5G network. This became known on August 10, 2022.

Vulnerabilities in 5G network APIs can provide anyone with a user's personal data and access to their IoT device.

And these vulnerabilities could haunt the industry in the long run.

Berlin Technical University researcher Altaf Shaik has studied the APIs that operators offer to make IoT capabilities available to developers. Such APIs are already used in web services, but have not found application telecommunication in the sphere. After examining the APIs of the 5G network of 10 mobile operators communications around the world, Shaik and his colleague Sindzyo Pak discovered common, well-known API vulnerabilities in all of them.

There is a "service IoT platform" where access to the API is provided. The designs of service IoT platforms are not specified in the 5G standard, but each carrier must create and deploy them. This means that their quality and implementation will be very different for each company. In addition to 5G, upgraded 4G networks can also support IoT expansion, increasing the number of carriers providing service IoT platforms and APIs.

The researchers bought access to the API from 10 operators and received special SIM cards for data transfer only for their IoT device networks. So experts got the same access to the platform as any other client.

Major flaws in API setup, such as weak authentication or lack of access control, can reveal SIM card IDs and secret keys, SIM card buyer identity, and their payment information. Moreover, the researchers could access data from other users and their IoT devices, which can be controlled and extracted from them.

According to experts, most of the discovered vulnerabilities have already been fixed. Shaik added that the security of service platforms differs between operators: some platforms have reliable protection, while others are practically not protected. The Group did not disclose the names of the companies, but indicated that 7 suppliers are based in Europe, 2 in the United States and 1 in Asia.

Shaik added that other users on the platform that scientists were able to access did not detect the penetration of researchers, indicating a lack of monitoring and security guarantees^[4].

2021: Vulnerability in 5G networks allows hackers to disable them and steal personal data of subscribers

Cellular networks fifth generation (5G) can be dangerous for those who don't want to be followed. The protocol of these networks identified a vulnerability that allows you to control subscriber movements and even disable entire segments of such networks using DoS-attacks (denial of service). This became known on March 29, 2021.

This problem with 5G was identified by specialists of the information security company AdaptiveMobile. They spoke about her in their report, in which they pointed to the culprit of the problem - the protocol for the separation of fifth-generation networks.

The use of a network separation mechanism known as Network Slicing allows carriers to break down their 5G networks, presenting them as separate "blocks" - virtual networks connected to each other. Each such unit is a kind of separate cellular network that the operator can allocate for a certain area of ​ ​ use - the automotive industry (automotive head devices, healthcare (smart medical devices, telemedicine), critical infrastructure, entertainment, etc.

This implementation of 5G networks is far from ideal in terms of network security, according to an AdaptiveMobile report. For example, an attacker can gain access to a separate 5G block (to a separate virtual network), after which he can try to break through it and into other blocks, including those designed for mobile devices, that is, for smartphones.

Infiltration of this block can give a hacker access to information about personal data of network subscribers, including their location, payment history, etc. It can also launch a DoS attack on one or more "neighboring" blocks of 5G networks.

AdaptiveMobile employees called the vulnerability found in 5G networks fundamental. They stressed that first of all, corporate clients of telecom operators are in danger. At the same time, they noted that the likelihood of compromising 5G networks using flaws in the Network Slicing mechanism for March 2021 is low. This is due to the fact that only a few telecom operators around the world split their 5G networks into blocks. But in the future, their number may increase

Before the publication of its report, AdaptiveMobile experts, who identified a vulnerability in 5G networks, reported their find to the GSM Association (GSMA), which includes more than 800 telecom operators around the world as of March 2021. Separately, they notified the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) consortium about it, which develops specifications for mobile communication networks, including fifth-generation networks.

2018: Authentication and Key Agreement protocol issues

As reported on November 13, 2018, a team of researchers from, and Switzerland France Great Britain identified problems with the protocol safety 5G known as the Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA). The shortcomings were revealed by the use of the Tamarin tool, which is considered the most effective for studying cryptographic protocols. AKA is a standard in which the developer of communication protocols 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is involved.

The type of AKA that is associated with 5G should ensure that the device and 5G network are able to authenticate each other, maintaining confidential communication and keeping the user's identity and location secret. However, the researchers argue that as it stands, AKA may not perform these functions because the requirements set out in it are not accurate enough.

The team of researchers expresses confidence that securing 5G with AKA will be more robust than for 3G and 4G network protocols. However, there are disadvantages. In particular, it is possible to detect the location of the phone in a certain area, although without revealing the identity of the owner. Moreover, due to the vulnerability, AKA may be mistakenly charged for another user to use the 5G network.

Researchers recommend making a number of corrections. For example, give AKA security the necessary properties that are currently missing and modify the key validation component. In their opinion, AKA does not provide adequate protection of personal data from active attackers. But fixing this flaw won't be easy.

The researchers hope to get 3GPP to work on improving AKA and complete it before the widespread adoption of 5G begins.

The European Union European information security Union Agency for Network and Information Security also ENISA issued a report warning that the identified shortcomings of signaling protocols in 2G, 3G and 4G networks may arise in 5G networks.

The company's research Ericsson shows that 3.5 billion devices may appear by 2023 internet of things (). IoT

An insecure 5G network presents a field for increasingly common attacks due to its high speed, which increases the number of attack objects available. It is not difficult to imagine what a massive DDoS attack on an enterprise using IoT sensors connected to a 5G network can turn out to be.

The ARM architecture company processors is creating a suite ON that will allow IoT devices to work with card chips, SIM making them similar to smartphones with mobile plans. Then there will be no need to connect IoT devices through. Wi-Fi However, they can hackers attack SIM cards and render them unusable. They are also able to distribute malicious code using text messages when attacking SIM cards.

It is too early to say whether hackers will exploit SIM card vulnerabilities if they appear in IoT devices, but there is such a possibility. In any case, it is clear that the capabilities that 5G provides can contribute to the efforts of hackers to organize increasingly destructive attacks using both already known and emerging methods.

5G won't necessarily change the risk factors we have. But it will exponentially increase the threat vectors and opportunities that attackers can take advantage of. 5G will allow companies to connect more and more devices at a higher speed of information exchange, thanks to which more data will be consumed in a shorter time, thereby increasing the network capabilities and flows of incoming and outgoing data from the data center. So if you have more devices connected and more data streams, you have more potential vulnerabilities caused by the increase in the number of additional attack vectors. It becomes more important than ever to have proper monitoring facilities, the ability to identify an attack if the perpetrator has entered the network, and the potential for an effective response and resolution of any potential problem. At the end of the day, you're still looking for anomalies that are just going to get bigger. So being able to immediately identify and respond to a threat will be critical to minimizing risk.

Development of 5G networks in Russia

Main article: Development of 5G networks in Russia

The development of 5G networks in the world

• Main article: Development of 5G networks in the world
• The development of 5G in the United States
• Development of 5G networks in Ukraine

6G (sixth generation mobile)

Main article: 6G (sixth generation of mobile communications)

Notes