A study by Trend Micro shows that most companies spend up to 10 percent of their total IT budget on securing their private 5G networks.

When it comes to the advantages of 5G, the higher level of security is a frequently cited argument. A private 5G network offers additional advantages, since as a user you are on your own piece of the network that you do not have to share with others. However, this design also requires investments in security, according to a survey of 150 (large) companies by Trend Micro.

72 percent of the companies surveyed consider the basic security of 5G technology to be good. However, this does not mean that attackers cannot penetrate, so additional investments are required. Today, 5G security accounts for five to ten percent of the entire IT budget. Trend Micro predicts that more and more amounts will be thrown at 5G security in the future.

For 35 percent, security, in addition to speed and cost-efficiency, is an important argument for choosing 5G. Security transparency (75%), risk and control management (65%) and an improved and streamlined alert system (49%) are the top security requirements for private 5G networks.

Shared Responsibility

The overarching conclusion Trend Micro draws is that the security of private 5G networks is a shared responsibility between operators and users. On the one hand, it is the operator’s duty to install sufficient basic protection in the devices. But those who use these networks must also take the necessary measures. Authentication, access controls and protection against counterfeit base stations are the most common actions taken by users.

Belgium started building (private) 5G networks relatively late, but now we see that our country has made a significant intermediate sprint. According to a recent survey by Beltug, one in five large Belgian companies is considering building a private 5G network. Properly securing these networks will therefore also become an increasingly important issue for Belgian companies.