NCC Group provides recommendations to the UK Government in notable contribution to ensuring the UK’s future telecoms networks are secure and resilient.
NCC Group, a people-powered, tech-enabled global cyber security business, today publishes the findings of its whitepaper on the FRANC Open RAN Security Narrative for the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The report, available here, details NCC Group’s recommendations for the UK’s development and deployment of Open RAN technology while maintaining security and resilience in the UK’s 5G network.
- NCC Group's whitepaper details recommendations to DSIT to enhance the UK’s future 5G and telecoms network security and resilience.
- Informs the Future Radio Access Network Competition (FRANC) which was created to support the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy.
- Diversified, secure and resilient telecoms networks are essential to the new Government’s mission for growth.
Chris Proctor, Head of Global Telecommunications Practice, NCC Group comments:
“The UK has faced significant upheaval in the security of our 5G and telecoms networks, revealing the risks of not taking a cyber first strategy. We are proud that our expertise and collaboration with the Government is informing the UK’s future 5G and telecoms network security. Diversified and resilient telecoms networks are essential to the Government’s mission for growth and we strongly believe that investment made into cyber security today will position the UK for greater sustainable growth in the future.”
The report follows the launch of the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy which aims to accelerate the development and deployment of open-interface solutions and standards, such as Open RAN. These solutions are designed to enable telecom operators to integrate equipment from multiple suppliers seamlessly, fostering a more diverse and resilient 5G network.
Diversified, secure and resilient telecoms networks are essential to the Government’s mission for growth. The UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper states: “access to fast, secure, and reliable digital connectivity is essential to enabling economic growth and to reap the transformational productivity benefits of digitalisation and the adoption of AI.”
Further supporting this initiative, DSIT launched the Future Radio Access Network Competition (FRANC). This competition provides crucial funding for research and development in the field, driving innovation and ensuring the UK's telecom networks remain at the cutting edge of technology.
NCC Group was commissioned by DSIT to review a cross section of the projects funded through the FRANC programme to understand how security had been built in and what lessons could be learned going forward.
The whitepaper summarises the findings of this work and NCC Group’s recommendations for the cyber-secure development and deployment of Open RAN technology in the UK, addressing high-level cyber security insights, key learnings, and best practice security approaches.
This report summarises the findings of this work and our recommendations for how the UK should develop and deploy Open RAN technology in a cyber secure way. It includes, for example:
- Embed security practices throughout the project cycle.
- Define responsibilities for cyber incidents.
- Develop a jointly agreed security strategy and guidance document, underpinned by assessing threats to the solution and using a common framework such as ISO27001 or the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF).
- Document the security architecture of telecommunications network environments to ensure secure-by-design principles can be incorporated.
- Establish third party supplier security best practices and risk management from the outset.
Discover our high-level cyber security insights, key learnings, and best practice security approaches you must consider when planning Open RAN technology.
About NCC Group
NCC Group is a people-powered, tech-enabled global cyber security and software escrow business.
Driven by a collective purpose to create a more secure digital future, c2,000 colleagues across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific harness their collective insight, intelligence, and innovation to deliver cyber resilience for over 14,000 clients across the public and private sector.
With decades of experience and a rich heritage, NCC Group is committed to developing sustainable solutions that continue to meet clients’ current and future cyber security challenges.
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