The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has published a blueprint to help businesses create a connected ecosystem to protect digital operations and accelerate transformation to converged Wi-Fi and private 5G networks.
Offering a rationale for the publication of the Enterprise security for private 5G networks report, the WBA notes that as digital transformation accelerates across manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and energy, organisations are turning to private 5G to connect mission-critical systems, automate processes and enable new business models.
Yet it added that digital transformation can also expand the attack surface, meaning potential greater exposure to cyber security risks, including data breaches, intellectual property theft and operational disruption. The WBA report provides practical guidance to help enterprises unify policies across wired and wireless domains, helping fuel innovation while safeguarding intellectual property and business continuity.
The report sets out to define a unified security framework, and guidelines that the WBA believes can help enterprises integrate private 5G into existing IT and Wi-Fi environments while protecting critical operations against evolving cyber threats. It introduces a converged zero trust network model built on open standards and shared policies, enabling firms to deliver secure, interoperable and resilient enterprise networks.
It also looks at how to create a positive impact across a connected ecosystem, defining a common language and framework for secure, converged wireless deployments. The WBA belies that it is offering new insights and benefits for each part of the connected ecosystem, encompassing enterprises, network operators and system integrators, technology suppliers, regulators, and policymakers.
For example, it is said to allow businesses to gain a practical roadmap to deploy private 5G and Wi-Fi securely within existing IT architectures, helping to reduce cyber risk while accelerating digital transformation and ensuring compliance with corporate security policies.
WBA claims the document can show operators how they can deliver interoperable, standardised services that simplify enterprise adoption, shorten deployment cycles and open new service opportunities in sectors. Manufacturing, healthcare and logistics were cited. The unified approach to security also points to a way to support cross-domain connectivity, promote interoperability and accelerate innovation across the wireless ecosystem.
Yet to achieve seamless and secure connectivity, the WBA cautioned that enterprises must unify security across all wireless domains. The report looked to offer guidance on how to integrate private 5G securely into existing IT and Wi-Fi environments, apply zero trust principles, and unify policies across wired and wireless domains, safeguarding intellectual property and their business operations.
“By bringing Wi-Fi and 5G under a common security framework, the industry can accelerate digital transformation without compromising resilience or interoperability,” said Tiago Rodrigues, president and CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance. “This report sets out a clear path to secure, converged networks built on open standards, zero trust design and shared threat intelligence.”
Derek Peterson, Boingo Wireless chief technology officer and WBA chairman, added: “Private 5G is creating new opportunities for enterprises and raises the bar for security. The WBA Enterprise security for private 5G networks report offers timely guidance to design secure, scalable networks that protect critical operations and deliver the always-on connectivity customers expect in high-density environments.”
