Signaling security remains a critical aspect of 5G network security, but the market is changing. Traditionally, signaling security has meant signaling firewalls deployed as hardware. Recently updated forecasts from ABI Research, a global technology intelligence company, predict that hardware revenues will stagnate, while network security delivered as a service or software will grow 50% year over year.
“The change is clear: while the demand for signaling security remains, customers are increasingly looking for it to be delivered in software form, valuing a single-pane-of-glass interface, ease of use and integration,” said Georgia Cook, digital security research analyst at ABI Research. “Signaling security remains an overlooked issue for many network operators. The move to flexible, scalable software solutions will enable the proliferation of signaling firewalls, provide the foundation for 5G security and raise security standards across the market.”
Despite being a core component of security, signaling firewalls are still not deployed by around half of network operators. Recently, Enea’s voice firewall was activated in Telecom Egypt’s network, resulting in a 90% reduction in fraudulent calls. Until recently, confidence in signaling firewalls was low, with a quarter of MNOs saying that their firewalls missed 75% of attacks in 2021. This situation is improving, with innovative companies such as BroadForward and Mavenir proposing cloud-based solutions that are easier to use and have faster update cycles.
This move comes as threats explode, with attackers targeting telecommunications operators faster than ever with new and sophisticated attacks. To combat the speed of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled threats, security tools must be adaptable and easy to manage for overburdened security teams, driving demand for software-enabled firewalls.
“While there will continue to be a market for firewalls delivered as hardware, the expansion of deployment methods will contribute to the explosive growth of software security in the 5G network security market, providing more options for an increasingly diversified set of operators looking for agility and technology convergence in their security investments,” Cooke concludes. ABI Research
