The idea is to combine Vodafone’s mobile network with satellite technolog to keep IoT connected even in remote locations. A full commercial service will follow if the trial is successful,

Skylo offers satellite connectivity for connected devices. Its network works with standard IoT hardware and uses existing mobile standards, making it easier for mobile operators to add satellite coverage without major changes to devices.

Skylo was founded by a group of engineers and scientists from MIT and Stanford in the US, and a  deployment team in Finland and India.

Skylo’s satellite network covers 36 countries and around 70 million square kilometres to extend connectivity beyond mobile masts.

Vodafone IoT chief executive Erik Brenneis said the partnership was another step towards global IoT connectivity, improving reliability and new types of connected services. Skylo CEO and co-founder Parthsarathi Trivedi said the trial shows that “anywhere connectivity” is something that is now ready to be used at scale.

Under the trial, IoT devices wtih Vodafone SIM will switch automatically between the mobile network and satellite network when mobile coverage is unavailable.

The technology is aimed at sectors such as asset tracking, energy services, environmental monitoring and fleet management, where devices are deployed in rural or remote locations.

Connected devices can be managedthrough Vodafone IoT’s existing managed connectivity platform, whether the devices are using mobile or satellite connectivity.

]]> https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/news/article/vodafone-iot-and-skylo-to-test-satellite-connectivity-for-iot-devices/feed/ 0 https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/analysis/article/telecoms-security-act-compliance-challenges-service-providers/ https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/analysis/article/telecoms-security-act-compliance-challenges-service-providers/#respond Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:43:13 +0000 https://mncwp.tailrd.cloud/telecoms-security-act-compliance-challenges-service-providers/ By Islam Rashad UK telecom providers are undergoing a transformative digital revolution. The rollout of 5G, fibre broadband networks, and IoT, coupled with the introduction of AI, is driving innovation, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing customer experiences. These advancements are reshaping telecom operators into Digital Service Providers positioning them as essential enablers of the UK’s

By Islam Rashad

UK telecom providers are undergoing a transformative digital revolution. The rollout of 5G, fibre broadband networks, and IoT, coupled with the introduction of AI, is driving innovation, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing customer experiences. These advancements are reshaping telecom operators into Digital Service Providers positioning them as essential enablers of the UK’s digital economy.

However, this rapid transformation comes with significant challenges. The expanded digital landscape introduces new vulnerabilities, from an extended supply chain to increasingly complex networks and private cloud technologies. Telecom operators must defend against an ever-evolving array of cyber threats, including well-funded advanced persistent threat groups and nation-state-sponsored attackers.

Cyberattacks on telecom providers can disrupt public services, impact national operations, and paralyse daily life. Recognising these risks, the National Cyber Security Centre introduced the Telecoms Security Act . This legally binding framework, an amendment to the Communications Act 2003, requires telecom providers to implement robust security measures to safeguard their 5G workloads and core broadband networks.

TSA Framework: Compliance Roadmap

The TSA mandates 21 compliance control packages, to be phased in by March 2028. These measures aim to bolster security and resilience across public electronic communication networks and services (PECN).

The Code of Practice offers detailed guidance on meeting these new security obligations. It aligns with the legal framework established under sections 105A to 105D of the Communications Act 2003, which was updated by the TSA in 2021.

In March 2024, Ofcom began auditing Tier 1 providers’ compliance annually under Section 135 of the Communications Act. As Tier 1 providers progress, attention is now shifting to Tier 2 providers, who must achieve their initial compliance milestones by March 2025.

Complexity of Compliance

The TSA’s Code of Practice provides valuable insights into meeting compliance requirements. However, its extensive and complex control measures pose challenges for telecom providers. Achieving compliance requires more than a checklist approach—it demands a collaborative effort across technical and procurement teams, supported by a governance framework. This includes creating a clear roadmap to achieve phased compliance over the coming years.

Challenges in Compliance

Meeting TSA compliance requires substantial investment in resources, expertise, and modern technology. Providers must navigate multiple projects and interdependencies across systems, stakeholders, and business units.

Key challenges include:

Infrastructure Upgrades

Modernising and hardening existing systems.

Financial Strain

Particularly for Tier 2 providers, who face economic pressures.

Operational Disruptions

Integrating new security measures may cause downtime.

Regulatory Adaptation

Staying compliant with evolving regulations diverts focus from core business activities.

The sector’s high level of mergers and acquisitions adds complexity, requiring providers to manage compliance during organizational changes.

Implementation

Implementing TSA requirements involves introducing advanced cybersecurity measures like real-time threat detection and machine learning-powered analytics. Providers must integrate these technologies into existing systems, plan deployments, and conduct rigorous testing.

Hurdles

Legacy Systems

Many providers rely on outdated infrastructure, which carries technical debt and risks. Replacing these systems is time-intensive and costly.

Human Expertise

Skilled cybersecurity professionals are essential for proactive threat hunting and enhancing automated detections.

Overcoming Compliance Barriers

To succeed, providers must define compliance boundaries, establish governance frameworks, and align business strategies with technical priorities. Developing an actionable roadmap enables providers to address dependencies and streamline projects efficiently.

Despite these challenges, Tier 2 telecom providers remain committed to achieving TSA compliance by March 2025. Many are working tirelessly, dedicating resources, and implementing proportionate technical and operational measures to meet regulatory standards.

By fostering collaboration across business units and embracing innovative security solutions, telecom providers can navigate the compliance journey and strengthen the UK’s digital ecosystem.

Islam Rashad, is Head of Cyber Security Solutions Engineering, at WWT

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It is designed for IoT services not connected to mains electricity and only transmit small amounts of data, such as burglar alarms, wearable devices, and asset tracking.

The technology is also known as LTE Cat-M1 and is optimised for indoor coverage, including improved penetration in buildings and underground, for IoT applications in remote or difficult-to-reach areas. LTE-M supports full mobility and can maintain connections while devices are in motion.

Vodafone explains 4G and 5G solutions are suited for IoT applications requiring high data throughput, constant connectivity, and low latency to respond in micro- or milliseconds. LTE-M and NB-IoT are designed for low data throughput and non-time-sensitive use cases. LTE-M can provide continuous connectivity and low latency services in some scenarios, but it is primarily for facilitating small data batches.

LTE-M and NB-IoT (Narrow Band) have different download/upload speeds (300 kbps and 20 kbps, respectively). NB-IoT is suitable for challenging locations and batch data uploads (such as underground water pipes or smart meters. LTE-M is best for mobility use such as asset tracking and wearable devices and event-based connectivity.

Vodafone UK Business Director Nick Gliddon said: “LTE-M is about choosing the right tools for the right job. 5G might be the right choice for some IoT use cases, whereas LTE-M might be better for others. By enabling LTE-M to sit alongside 4G, 5G, and NB-IoT, we are providing a technology-agnostic solution for customers.”

IoT has transformed businesses, enabling significant advancements in automation, efficiency, and the emergence of new business opportunities. McKinsey predicts that by 2025, IoT could generate an economic impact of up to $12.6 trillion.

However, significant challenges persist, especially for organisations facing obstacles such as inconsistent network availability or seeking to implement IoT for traceability across vast geographic regions.

Where is the key to multi-network redundancy, providing an essential connectivity solution? Most importantly, where can we discover a unified data standard that accelerates innovation in device design and facilitates access across multiple networks?

In order to fully harness the potential of mobile IoT, a collaborative industry approach will be required, adopting a single data standard to bring together the various sub-gigahertz networks into a single, reliable, connected pan-European environment. This environment should also be optimized specifically for low-power IoT applications. 

**0G-WAN**, or Zero G WAN, is a proposed standard for a wireless communication network designed to support IoT and M2M applications. It aims to provide a reliable, low-power, and cost-effective connectivity solution for IoT devices, particularly those operating on sub-gigahertz radio bands.

The Demand for Mobile IoT Solutions

The mobile IoT landscape is already established, with millions of devices connected across both licensed cellular and unlicensed sub-gigahertz radio bands. The main challenge for companies in this industry, however, is that these devices are not linked to multiple networks.

Despite a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) providing a cost-effective solution required for IoT deployments, they do not operate together in comparison to costly, complicated, and energy-draining cellular alternatives. Each operates to different data standards, from transmission volumes to frequency. As a result, this presents both technical and contractual challenges to overcome to achieve unrestricted roaming across a vast area, limiting mobile IoT deployments to small geographic areas, such as smart cities.

This is a point of frustration for industries with a strong business case for active asset monitoring across Europe. In order to realize these business cases, organizations require genuine pan-European connectivity, and that cannot be achieved without a densified LPWAN network. Organizations need stronger network connectivity assurance as assets pass between different regions and countries. They need redundancy to ensure the availability of communications, even if there is an issue with one of the networks when that arises. Furthermore, this is necessary at scale.

Common Standard

Sigfox is a provider of sub-gigahertz networks that can provide pan-European connectivity when roaming without restriction. Cellular alternatives lack complete coverage and may run into issues during handovers between cell towers. They are often too expensive and power-hungry, making them financially unviable for most mobile asset applications. Even Sigfox, however, cannot provide the unlimited coverage sought after by many IoT applications. It is unlikely that any vendor will come to the market with a single pan-European network alternative.

All of this makes collaboration essential if organisations are to achieve their digitalization goals. This year, a truly densified pan-European IoT network is becoming a reality. A Zero G WAN (0G-WAN) working party has been established to create the standard using converged network devices that will enable applications to work together across all collaborative sub-gigahertz networks.

The recent decision to make the proprietary Sigfox device code publicly available for developers will drive this network convergence and multi-network capability.

The cornerstone of this model lies in establishing a common standard for data specification to ensure the seamless transmission of specific information and data volumes, regardless of the network. By setting a data transmission limit to 12 bits and 140 messages per day on the network, the IoT application becomes compatible with all the accessible sub-gigahertz networks across Europe. The intention is to establish a consensus on this 0G-WAN standard with international standards organizations, such as GS1.

Accelerating 0G-WAN Progress

The aim of the 0G-WAN initiative is to achieve industry commitment and collaboration. The 0G-WAN working party currently comprises semiconductor manufacturers, tower companies, logistics providers, global pooling companies, device makers, and reusable transit packaging manufacturers. Future members will include European-wide retailers and industrial companies.

The aim of the 0G-WAN initiative is to achieve industry commitment and collaboration.

Progress has been significant. 0G-WAN devices are already being created by device manufacturers, which include technology on one chip to provide a single device solution for both static and mobile assets to add network redundancy. Three of the working party members have already agreed to trial devices in their customer supply chains. Their findings will be shared with the rest of the 0G-WAN community, underlining the collaborative mindset of this initiative.

The collaborative model is uniting the sub-gigahertz community to establish a unified approach that enables cost-effective and efficient deployment of IoT-based traceability across Europe. The rate of change is exciting, as the agreement on the 0G-WAN standard is anticipated to take place in 2023, with widespread implementations commencing in early 2024.

The agreement on the 0G-WAN standard is anticipated to take place in 2023, with widespread implementations commencing in early 2024.

Potential

A converged IoT vision is captivating, holding the potential to usher in the next wave of digitalization and automation, leading to cost reductions and risk mitigation. By providing nearly real-time information across various assets, this vision can completely change operational efficiency and control for the better. However, achieving this vision depends on fostering a collaborative mindset.

0G-WAN will provide the network certainty, reliability, redundancy, scalability, and device longevity needed to confirm and approve the IoT business case. It will support the core strengths of sub-gigahertz networks, which are secure and stable low-power implementations. It will support, and make it possible to achieve, the densified coverage needed to remove the desire and requirement for power-hungry contingency solutions, such as GPS, to achieve geolocation services.

Alongside cost-effective pan-European connectivity, the 0G-WAN standard will also unlock fresh market opportunities by enhancing scalability, reducing costs, extending deployment lifespan, and fostering innovation.

By joining forces to create the 0G-WAN standard, the market is instilling confidence in the longevity of mobile IoT deployments.

The 0G-WAN working party is inviting competitors and partners to join forces and is aiming to accelerate the pace of transformation across the industry.

Profit-driven hacking groups are behind a 500 per cent in botnet-driven denial of service attacks against networks in the last year according to Nokia;s Threat Intelligence team.

The attacks were made through a million insecure IoT devices inclding iunsecured smart refrigerators and medical sensors, and were intended to disrupt telecom networks, said Nokia.

Bot malware scans billions of IoT devices worldwide for vulnerable IoT devices including smart refrigerators and medical sensors which may lack adequate security measures.

The initial surge occurring when the Russia-Ukraine conflict started and the trend has now spread globally to various critical infrastructure sectors said Nokia.

The number of IoT devices involved in these attacks is believed to have has risen from 200,000 to approximately 1 million although Nokias findings based on data collected from over 200 million devices worldwide that use Nokia’s NetGuard Endpoint Security product which monitors consumer, enterprise, and critical infrastructure network traffic for malware and attack activity.

The hacking was discovered by various Nokia centres specialising in threat intelligence and cybersecurity.

The Nokia report r the number of trojans (malicious software that masquerades as safe applications) targeting personal banking information on mobile devices has doubled, putting millions of users at risk of financial and credit card information theft. 

Fortunately, malware infections in home networks have decreased from the peak of three per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic to 1.5 per cent, and are nearly back to the the pre-pandemic level of once per cent. Nokia says this decline is due to a decrease in malware campaigns targeting remote workers as more people returned to their offices.

Nokia senior vice president Hamdy Farid emphasised the need for stronger security measures in 5G networks. This includes implementing threat detection and response systems specific to telecom providers, as well as promoting robust security practices and awareness across all levels of organizations involved in the industry.

The government’s Emergency Alerts test text message being broadcast to every mobile phone in the country on Sunday at 3 pm could cause issues for connected devices such as medical equipment, vending machines and electric vehicle chargers.

Mobile phones across the UK will emit a loud alarm and vibrate on Sunday as a test run.  The alerts can be turned off on iPhones and Android devices.

Paul Marshall, founder of IoT specialists Eseye, warns the alert could disrupt non-phone Android and iOS devices as there has not been consideration of the range of non-consumer connected IoT devices.

“Every IoT device is unique, with different hardware and firmware. It is impossible to predict the scale of the disruption or to implement a catch-all fix. Many devices may not be equipped to acknowledge and dismiss this notification, which could cause real-world problems

“We simulated the alert on customer devices and found that one medical device sounded the alert and entered into an alarm state that could not be cancelled, potentially creating risk and causing distress for patients” said Marshall.

“Overall, the health and safety of elderly and vulnerable people who rely on these connected home and healthcare systems are at risk from the impact of these alerts. Another example is EV charging systems where there could be disruption to travel infrastructure and drivers could be left stranded if the charger can’t process payments and dispense electricity.

“Given the lack of government guidance in this area, our advice to any companies running connected Android devices, in particular, is to ideally simulate and test this alert ahead of Sunday, and update firmware where necessary immediately.”

Former Tory cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has criticised the planned alert which is set to be tested on millions of devices this weekend calling it “mollycoddling? and “nanny state” interference with people’s lives.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has implored people not to disable the alert notification on their phones,

Kimberly Brown, Head of Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation at the GSMA says the Alerts service aims to keep people safe.

“Early Warning Systems (EWS) are nothing new and have long been used globally to keep communities in at-risk areas informed of imminent hazards and to help improve disaster response. Similar systems are in place globally, including in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan”.

“Extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, flooding, heavy rainfall or blizzards, are only becoming more frequent in the UK. The Emergency Alerts service will help to improve the preparedness of emergency services, and ensure the public is given clear instructions in the event of a life-threatening emergency, ultimately helping to save lives.”

“Every IoT device is unique, with different hardware and firmware. It is impossible to predict the scale of the disruption or to implement a catch-all fix. Many devices may not be equipped to acknowledge and dismiss this notification, which could cause real-world problems”

In September 2020, in New York’s Union Square, the bright orange letters of the then new climate clock counted down the critical time window remaining for humanity to take action and save the world from climate chaos.

To remain under 1.5°C warming and prevent the worst effects of climate change from becoming irreversible, society was warned it had only seven years, 102 days, and counting to switch from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives to keep global emissions in check.

Two years down the line and carbon emissions are still rising and if we revisit the clock analogy, it currently stands at one minute to midnight – less according to many scientists. Indeed, António Guterres proclaimed in his COP27 opening speech that the global climate fight will be won or lost by the end of the decade.

We’ve already seen first-hand evidence of what he described as “climate hell”. So far this year southern US States were hit by powerful winter storms leaving millions without electricity, in March, Antarctica reported a heatwave, with temperatures some 70° higher than where they should be, this summer parts of the UK and mainland Europe reached temperatures in excess of 40°, and Pakistan has experienced super floods as a result of severe monsoons and melting glaciers.

Whilst geopolitical instability in Ukraine has exacerbated the situation by causing shortages in wholesale gas supplies and soaring energy prices, the conflict has also highlighted just how little progress the world has made in its transition to renewable energy sources. If we are serious about redressing climate change, the source, to a certain extent, is irrelevant. The world needs to consume less energy overall by:

1. Adopting energy saving measures
2. Ensuring existing energy systems are working optimally to avoid waste and unnecessary emissions

5G networks are driving IoT adoption

Amidst all the despair, advances in IoT are offering a glimmer of hope because by fortuitous timing its heyday has arrived and could be the silver bullet needed to address climate change challenges once and for all. Interconnected devices (the crux of IoT) empower both businesses and individuals to lower their carbon footprint by giving them an easy means to measure the effectiveness of their existing energy management systems and take decisive action in line.

Embedded sensors can be used to monitor an array of factors, from temperature and humidity levels or total power usage, to assessing C02 and/or methane levels. According to the World Economic Forum, IoT technologies together with 5G connectivity offer the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by 15%.

Deploying IoT in commercial properties has historically been optional

IoT, however, is not a new technology. The concept has been around for the last 10 years with interconnected devices and applications prevalent in industry and consumables. Its true worth, however, is just coming to fruition thanks to 5G networks going mainstream and accelerations in AI innovation.

Yet thus far a high proportion of businesses, public sector ones in particular, have been reluctant to harness the benefits of IoT because of the perceived upheaval, disruption to service, costs involved etc versus the perceived gains. Installing IoT powered sensors in commercial premises has also historically been optional.

Now that the New Building Safety Act has come into force, proprietors of any mixed-use building must nominate someone to be responsible for harnessing data for due diligence. With these new safety new rules to abide by, together with soaring costs and the planned introduction of decarbonisation strategies, businesses adopting a “head in the sand” approach to the merits of IoT do so at their own peril.

Seamless mobile coverage is the underpinning enabler to IoT systems 

A common misconception of any IoT deployment is the need for powerful Wi-Fi. The underpinning enabler to most IoT systems is cellular as it provides the trigger mechanism for device2device communication.

Providing the levels of coverage needed in commercial buildings running IoT is challenging though because a mobile signal is weakened by default as soon as it is taken indoors. Materials such as reinforced concrete, galvanized steel, tinted glass iron girders, insulation foam etc also hinder the transmission of mobile phone signals, particularly 5G ones, yet this is next generation network fuelling the IoT phenomena.

The type of mobile coverage system needed depends on the organisation type and size

Larger organisations can overcome their signal challenges by implementing operator-connected DAS. Smaller businesses also need to address their energy usage, but they don’t have the same budgets or resources. The only way they can provide the levels of coverage needed is by taking the outside network indoors using supplementary equipment such as mobile repeaters.

Before even reaching the install phase, businesses must firstly assess the outdoor coverage situation as this will determine the type/number of repeaters needed and their configuration.  This can be done by carrying out a mobile site survey but most of the readily available tools do not provide the hierarchical view needed. When deploying IoT, quality of service at device level is critical as this will depict the efficiency of the system and the reliability of the data captured.

Advances in IoT sensors and wireless connectivity along with augmented storage and data handling processes are clearly allowing businesses to adopt energy-efficient practices and use available resources more responsibly. But any IoT investment will be superfluous if the mobile coverage situation is not addressed at the same time.

If we are to leverage the merits of IoT for the greater good of the planet, then reliable cellular connectivity must be incremental to any IoT deployment. If it isn’t then many investments will not be fit for purpose due to self-created mobile dead spots.

]]> https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/features/article/iot-reliable-mobile-coverage-antidote-climate-change/feed/ 0 https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/features/article/iot-heyday-running-existing-4g-networks/ https://mobilenewscwp.co.uk/features/article/iot-heyday-running-existing-4g-networks/#respond Fri, 11 Nov 2022 11:20:32 +0000 https://mncwp.tailrd.cloud/iot-heyday-running-existing-4g-networks/ Although 5G is grabbing all the headlines right now, most day-to-day IoT applications are running on its 4G predecessor and will continue to do so until the end of the decade, according to Colin Abrey of Nextivity

BT has joined the ‘Robot Highway’s’ project exploring the use of robotics and IoT in agriculture which aims to drive automation, increase efficiency and improve sustainability.

The project- led by Saga Robotics alongside partners BT, University of Lincoln, Berry Gardens Growers Ltd, Clock House Farm, University of Reading, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre- aims to demonstrate how a fleet of robots can communicate to form a highly efficient supply chain operation. 

Those involved with the project showcased a vision of the future of soft fruit farming, where robotics powered only by renewable energy sources will help farmers carry out essential tasks such as picking and packing fruit, and preventing common pests and diseases in crops.

The project highlighted how key agricultural processes can be enhanced through better forecasting accuracy and farm productivity as well as reducing farm labour, fruit waste and use of fungicide. 

BT has tested the edge and cloud architecture to deliver the infrastructure where these IoT services can run.

John Davies, chief Researcher at BT said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Robot Highways project to demonstrate how BT can help the agricultural sector to automate by integrating robotics and other solutions on a single platform.

“As a leader in network-based platforms and edge- infrastructure we are ideally placed to support advanced robotic farming operations.”

Anne Dingstad, CEO of Saga Robotics added: “We’re welcoming BT’s interest and support to help provide solutions that advance agricultural robotics in the UK. Connectivity plays a key part to advance automation and precision agriculture and to enable increased food production with less resources.”

Roaming IoT connections are tipped to boom in the next five year with these connections expected to generate 1,100 petabytes globally by 2027.

This is according to analyst research firm Juniper Research, which expects the growth to be underpinned by the termination of 3G networks.

This will lead to the necessitating the adoption of low-power cellular networks.

The growth during the next five years represents a 1,140 per cent jump, increasing from 86 petabytes this year.

Juniper found that these lower power wide-area networks provide a cheaper alternative to some of the more established operator-led cellular networks, such as 4G and 5G; effectively driving IoT roaming connections through low-power, high-penetration coverage.