With 5G communication increasingly catching public attention in recent years, a small number of 5G-ready phones are finally making debut on the market beginning in 2019. However, in general, there are still quite a few issues and challenges to be overcome as the world ushers in the 5G era.
As a matter of fact, for 5G communication to become widely available, it not only requires joint efforts on the part of IC developers, telecom operators and OEM manufacturers but testing and certification labs also play an essential role. Spectrum allocation by governments around the globe and device certification mechanisms for regional markets worldwide are fundamental work amid the imminent advent of the 5G era. To the Taiwan high-tech industry that focuses on exports, testing and certification labs serve as the critical final checkpoint ensuring their products meet the requirements of different countries.
Information security problems may be hidden in a diversity of 5G challenges
Commenting on 5G developments and challenges, Pascal Le Ray, General Manager of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, Electrical & Electronic/Automotive/Wireless in Taiwan, notes 5G communication aims to satisfy a wide range of applications, wherein complexity is one of the major challenges. As 5G enables a platform for multiple wireless technologies to cooperate, suppliers of 5G technologies have to overcome a myriad of challenges including signal spectrum, transmission protocol, network compatibility, MIMO technology, device-to-device communication and potential network security and privacy issues that may arise.
To meet the strong demand for smart network communication, 5G development is advancing faster than previously anticipated. According to market analysts, fully operational 5G network will come in 2020.
Le Ray further comments 5G development will advance in three major directions - enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) and ultra Reliability and Low Latency Communication (uRLLC). With 4G network already up and running, 5G development will run into plenty of challenges, as mentioned above.
Data encryption technologies become critical with IoT connecting millions of nodes
5G communication supports a wide range of applications with IoT being one of the major use cases addressed by mMTC. As to the challenges, Le Ray points out IoT and 5G both face information security issues. Hackers can break into the central system from an edge node to steal or tamper with data. IoT uses diverse networking technologies, encompassing Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, LoRa WAN and ZigBee among others. A single edge node may not be equipped with strong computing power but the network as a whole must be able to simultaneously handle multiple technologies and issues such as gateway and network compatibility and have adequate computing power to process massive amounts of data. To address information security concerns mentioned above, data transmitted from millions of devices across the cloud need to be encrypted with robust algorithms to guarantee secure data exchange between edge nodes and the central system.
Going forward, the market will see more devices and sensors supporting a variety of new wireless communication standards every year. Network expandability will be an innovation that is instrumental for IoT to accommodate massive add-on devices and emerging technologies.
Starting with information security, Bureau Veritas brings more added values to customers
Accumulating years of experiences in testing and certification services, Bureau Veritas focuses on solutions targeting electric and electronic devices, automotive electronics and wireless technologies. Bureau Veritas' services and solutions cover wireless communication standards including NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DSRC, CBRS, LoRa, Sigfox and 2G/3G/4G, a lot more than what its competitors can offer. For 5G testing and certification, Bureau Veritas assists customers with 5G NR conformance testing and operator network acceptance tests as well as 5G NR mmWave power density testing using DASY, notes Le Ray. He has also observed that Taiwan is engaged in eMBB, automotive electronics and IoT development. As an export-oriented economy, Taiwan needs its products to meet wide-ranging certification standards implemented by regional markets around the world, which is exactly Bureau Veritas' expertise.
To help address information security concerns, Bureau Veritas offers IEC-62443 and IEC-27001 testing, a unique service that distinguishes Bureau Veritas from other testing and certification labs. Bureau Veritas strives to bring added values to Taiwan customers on top of its existing services and solutions.
Pascal Le Ray, general manager of Bureau Veritas consumer products services, electrical & electronic/automotive/wireless in Taiwan
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