Nokia demos 5G readiness; launches security solutions to protect SS7 protocol

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Nokia Networks has unveiled a programmable 5G architecture that overcomes the rigidity of legacy networks.

The architecture automatically adapts radio access and core network resources to meet the needs of different services, traffic variations over time and location, and network topology, including transport. Operators will be able to offer network functions as a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) business model.

5G will be much more than a new radio system

Nearly all network functions will become software-defined; cognitive technologies will automatically orchestrate the network and content and processing will be distributed across the network close to where they are needed.

In support of this, Nokia's architecture uses a system of systems approach to integrate and align different and independent parts of a network to achieve higher performance and more functionality as compared to today's networks.

Some developments

The viability of the new architecture has been demonstrated through several proof of concepts:

As an important part of Nokia's network slicing concept, a fully self-aware software-defined transport network automatically adapts itself to changing service requirements and the needs of different slices and customer experience needs.

This is achieved by Self-Organizing Networks (SON) for transport solution in combination with a multivendor SDN fabric control that acts across domains. The network control does not need to talk to every SDN controller since a single Rest Application Programming Interface (API) is used.

Volker Ziegler, Chief Architect, Nokia Networks, said, "Nokia Networks is leading industry-wide 5G architecture work through various vehicles such as the 5G-Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) project 5G NORMA (5G Novel Radio Multiservice adaptive network Architecture). It will fuel economic growth through new business models across vertical sectors, such as Network-as-a-Service for other industries to use network functions as they need them."

On the other hand, Nokia has launched two new security solutions that can provide protection upto the SS7 protocol layer

The first solution, Network Access Guard (NAG) secures, identifies and monitors employee access while simplifying the way privileged users handle critical network elements.

NAG implements centralized identity access management in multivendor networks. It offer a combination of single sign-on authentication, session management to control network access, audit logging to track user sessions, and user policy management.

The software can secure traditional, virtualized and software-defined networks (SDN), and also helps avert service interruptions that could damage customer experience, cause revenue loss and lead to Service Level Agreement (SLA) penalties.

Meanwhile, the company’s second solution, Signaling Security Solution (SSS) can identify weaknesses in an operator's SS7 infrastructure and implement a firewall to protect against hacking and other malicious intrusions.

SSS tracks SS7 sessions and inspects signaling traffic in real time, thereby detecting external attacks with the help of a fraud protection tool. The solution can block unauthorized access to subscriber profiles and helps assure service availability.

Additionally, the company has introduced Nokia Security Assessment is a new expert service that analyzes an operator's network security architecture and highlights vulnerabilities that could lead breaches or service disruptions.

Giuseppe Targia, Vice President, Security Business, Nokia Networks, said, "Security in network operations involves a number of critical aspects, and with these new launches we are addressing two of the most important ones. Firstly, multivendor and multi-technology deployments in mobile networks create a challenge in managing access control policies thus making it difficult to protect the network from insider threats or internal staff errors.”