The “RealSec5G” project aims to test the data security requirements of communication devices for 5G/6G infrastructure in deterministic time-sensitive networks (TSN).
As the security of communication networks becomes more important, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is designing a TSN-MACsec functional block to be tested as part of a demonstrator.
The final implementation and performance analysis will be carried out in cooperation with the German industrial company albis-elcon system.
As wireless technology continues to evolve, significant improvements in speed, capacity, and connectivity are expected, especially with the introduction of 5G and consideration of 6G. But it also raises data security challenges.
Reliable and secure networks are essential for critical applications such as rail and energy networks, as well as autonomous vehicle and robot monitoring and control. Special cases such as closed-loop applications already meet these requirements, but open architectures such as 5G/6G networks generally do not.
As part of the “RealSec5G” project, Fraunhofer IPMS and consortium leader Albis Elcon Systems of Germany will develop and test communication solutions that improve data reliability and security for 5G/6G applications.
This project aims to incorporate deterministic requirements such as real-time capabilities, redundancy, transmission guarantees, and data security into a cost-effective and easy-to-integrate system. To achieve this objective, Fraunhofer IPMS has designed her TSN-MACsec functional block.
“MACsec stands for Media Access Control Security and is a security standard specified by the IEEE for the protection of Ethernet-based networks. It ensures the confidentiality and integrity of Ethernet frames.” explained Dr. Frank Dyke, head of the Department of Engineering. Fraunhofer IPMS Division. “Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) adds time synchronization and deterministic communication to many Ethernet specifications. Final implementation and performance analysis will be done in collaboration with albis-elcon.
The goal of this project is to test and evaluate on a practical and relatively inexpensive FPGA platform (off-the-shelf module) that supports high data rates in the multi-gigabit range and in a realistic test environment.
This project, in cooperation with Alvis Elcon, will contribute to strengthening core areas of the value chain. Both project partners said that once the project is successfully completed, despite the technical risks, the wide range of safety-critical applications in Germany means that the relevant I believe there will be many opportunities.
In addition to the energy and transportation focus areas, the project solution can also be extended to other critical infrastructure application scenarios. These include applications in government and administration, healthcare, information technology, and communications.
