Global Mobile Operators Commit to Common Approach to IoT Security

Global Mobile Operators Commit to Common Approach to IoT Security

The GSMA today announced that global mobile operators including AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KDDI, LG Uplus, Orange, Telefónica, Telenor Group, Telia, Turkcell, Vodafone Group and Zain have committed to adopt and implement the GSMA IoT Security Guidelines.

The guidelines outline best practice and recommendations for Internet of Things (IoT) security for the entire IoT ecosystem and set out a comprehensive security assessment scheme to help ensure IoT services are protected against IoT security risks. There will be 3.1 billion IoT connections by 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence.

Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA, commented:

“For the IoT to flourish, the industry needs an aligned and consistent approach to IoT security. Our guidelines encourage the industry to adopt a robust set of best practices that will help create a more secure IoT market with trusted, reliable services that can scale as the market grows.”

“The mobile industry has a long history of providing secure services in licensed spectrum and by implementing these guidelines, we can help ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the market.”

The GSMA IoT Security Guidelines are targeted at IoT service providers, device manufacturers, developers and mobile operators and provide best practice for the secure end-to-end design, development and deployment of IoT solutions across industries and services. They address typical cybersecurity and data privacy issues associated with IoT services and outline a step-by-step process to securely launch solutions to market.

They are supported by an IoT Security Assessment scheme that provides a checklist to support the secure launch of IoT solutions into the market and keep them secure throughout their lifecycles thereby creating a sustainable IoT ecosystem that is designed for end-to-end security. Both the GSMA IoT Security Guidelines and IoT Security Assessment also cover the fast-growing Low Power Wide Area or Mobile IoT technologies, LTE-M and NB-IoT.

For further information on the GSMA’s work on IoT Security, please go to: https://www.gsma.com/iot/future-iot-networks/iot-security-guidelines/

Operator quotes:

AT&T : “A common approach to IoT security will be paramount as the number of global IoT connections multiplies. These guidelines are a vital initiative towards realizing the vision of a robust and end to end secure IoT ecosystem,” said Cameron Coursey, vice president, Internet of Things Solutyions, AT&T. “We have worked closely with GSMA to help develop the guidelines and are also fully compliant. This is a big step toward a global IoT ecosystem that is protected against security risks.”

ETISALAT : “Today it has become imperative to focus on the need to have a common IoT assessment and security guidelines that are adapted by global operators, IoT device manufacturers and developers. With the global opportunity for IoT to grow and enable disruptive innovations, these guidelines will help it to flourish and being adapted across industries and services. Etisalat welcomes GSMA’s global lead on setting these best practices and is proud to be one of the pioneering operators in implementing these guidelines,” said Francisco Salcedo, Senior Vice President, Etisalat Digital,

KDDI : “In the IoT where various items such as devices supporting social infrastructure and home appliances are connected to the network, there are problems in terms of security such as illegal remote control, spoofing, intercepting of data and so on. By spreading these guidelines globally with GSMA, it will be possible to utilize various IoT devices more safely,” said Keigo Harada, General Manager, IoT Business Development Division, KDDI.

ORANGE : “Delivering a trusted IoT is essential when we are talking about massive IoT deployments for customers globally. We believe these guidelines are instrumental to ensure that IoT networks and platforms are secured by design from beginning to end”, said Pascal Ancian, Orange IoT Programme Director.

TELENOR GROUP : “We welcome the GSMA guidelines as there is a need for standardisation and common direction across the IoT ecosystem. Telenor Group is committed to providing secure and well-functioning networks and services and the new guidelines support our stringent global security measures.” Per Simonsen, SVP, Head of Telenor Digital Businesses

ZAIN : “The evolving cyber threats pose significant risks to communications infrastructure and with the proliferation of IoT devices, network security and resilience are of utmost importance. The GSMA IoT security guidelines help define appropriate steps which operators should adopt to mitigate these threats. Zain is aligning its IoT security policies along these lines,” – Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group CEO-Operations.

Related posts