Evolution, Trends, and Insights into 5G Edge and Security Deployment

As operators and the broader mobile ecosystem continue to invest in 5G technology, the Heavy Reading 2022 5G Network Strategies Operator Survey gives insight into how 5G networks may evolve. We’ll start by going through some of the results for 5G and edge computing, then go on to a 5G security viewpoint.

Parts of the poll were funded by Red Hat, including parts on service provider 5G edge computing plans and approaches to 5G security.

Drivers for 5G edge deployments

The healthcare, financial services, and industrial industries are driving current edge installations. According to Heavy Reading, the media and entertainment sector will be the next largest growth segment, with 66% of respondents saying they will deploy 5G edge services to these verticals in the next two years.

As the collated data shows, service providers’ priority is to reduce costs and improve performance. Reduced bandwidth utilization and cost were recognized by 63% of those polled as the most important financial driver, followed by stronger support for vertical sector applications (46%) and differentiated offerings vs the competition (43%).

Improved resilience and application performance were two significant requirements for edge deployments for smaller operators (annual sales less than $5 billion). Both of these criteria, according to respondents, have the impact of cutting costs and boosting customer satisfaction by making service level agreements (SLAs) simpler to meet.

Larger operators place a greater emphasis on specialized services and apps that can provide new income streams. The necessity to compete not just with other telecom service providers, but also with hyper scalers, may be the cause for the higher significance expressed by larger operators (68% vs 28%). Given that some service providers are wanting to work with hyper scalers to tackle edge deployment issues, this is an intriguing discovery.

Edge deployment options

Even though a range of edge deployment choices is available, the hybrid public/private telco cloud infrastructure is the most popular, with 33% of respondents choosing it. This is hardly unexpected, since it provides service providers with a healthy balance of ownership, control, and reach.

As Heavy Reading points out, service providers’ cultural hesitations about cooperating with hyper scalers are disappearing, due to the rapidity with which hyper scalers can deliver edge installations.

Some service providers have decided to deploy at the network’s edge or on-premises, and this appears to be focused on private 5G potential. Private 5G for mining is an important market for US tier 1 service providers, and multi-access edge computing (MEC) is viewed as a crucial enabler for private 5G.

The use of container-based technology at the edge

Linux containers enable software to be packaged with all of the files it needs to execute while sharing access to the operating system and other infrastructure resources. This setup allows service providers to relocate the containerized component across environments (development, test, and production), as well as between clouds while maintaining full functionality. Containers have the potential to improve innovation and differentiation by increasing efficiency, resiliency, and agility.

In the context of edge deployments, however, many service providers find it difficult to use container-based technologies. The poll underlines the challenge of the shift to containers, with over half of respondents saying that fewer than 25% of their edge workloads are already containerized. This trend is expected to gain traction in the next years, with more than half of respondents anticipating that 51% or more of their workloads would be containerized by 2025.

Other complexities with edge deployments

The greatest challenge to existing edge deployments is the cost and complexity of infrastructure (55% of respondents). The integration and compatibility of ecosystem components get excellent marks as well (49%). Red Hat has maintained strong engagement with partners focusing on innovation for service provider networks to overcome the integration and compatibility problems.

We can enable the creation, testing, and deployment of partner network functions (virtual network function and cloud-native network function) through our testbed facilities, allowing for faster adoption and risk reduction. We test network features on a regular basis to verify that they will operate properly with our products.

Red Hat has also created a number of partner blueprints and reference designs that enable service providers to install pre-integrated components from a variety of vendors. We deliver a uniform and consistent cloud-native platform through our comprehensive portfolio, together with the essential functional components, automation, and integration services from our partners for complete operational readiness.

5G security concerns and strategy

Because of the more spread network design, more sophisticated devices, and a bigger number of attack surfaces, 5G network security is even more important. The survey identifies a variety of infrastructure features that service providers value in terms of security, such as the usage of trusted hardware and identity, as well as access management. Trusted hardware is a vital component for device endpoints when it comes to safeguarding the 5G edge.

Container orchestration security and continuous image security scan and vulnerability analysis, both of which confirm prior statements about container-based technology, also receive good marks. The top two objectives for service providers’ 5G edge security plans are trusted hardware and continuous image security scan and vulnerability. They’re also regarded as critical features for protecting endpoints.

The importance of zero-trust deployment and provisioning is also mentioned. In terms of consistent infrastructure provisioning for physical and virtual network operations (48%) and data in motion encryption, zero-trust comes out on top (46%).

While the majority of service providers are confident in their 5G security approach, concerns about maturity and scaleability exist outside of the United States. Internal resources and related skill sets are needed to properly implement a security plan that encompasses ever-changing threats, compliance needs, tools, and architectural alterations, according to these concerns.

Final thoughts and how Red Hat can assist

The edge extends opportunities, and service providers must migrate toward it to exploit new service and revenue opportunities, as well as network efficiency. To minimize inflexibility, systems must be able to adapt to changing demand and difficult-to-predict application use cases.

A stable basis for a range of network operations across any infrastructure may be provided by a single and consistent cloud-native platform that spans the network from core to edge. The Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform provides service providers with the deployment choices they need to extend their footprint to meet changing cost and environment demands.

Increased customizability, scalability, dependability, and portability are all advantages of a cloud-native approach to 5G network deployment. Red Hat OpenShift enables service providers to fully realize the benefits of cloud economics by accelerating the delivery of new 5G services and optimizing their operating model through simpler processes, lowering the total cost of ownership.

Service providers may include their preferred 5G software features and hardware from many manufacturers to meet their demands thanks to Red Hat’s vast partner ecosystem.

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