Dedicated solely to security forensics and research, the lab will use and build tools and techniques to assess the security resilience of 5G networks
Nokia launches ASTaR lab in Dallas for cybersecurity-focused 5G testing. (Credit: pikkuanna/Wikimedia.org)
Nokia has launched Advanced Security Testing and Research (ASTaR) lab in Dallas, Texas for end-to-end 5G testing, with an exclusive focus on cybersecurity.
According to the Finnish firm, the comprehensive approach of ASTaR to researching and testing secure solutions and possible network threat mitigations will go beyond looking at individual network elements. The testing lab will also focus on the wider context of network use and abuse scenarios, said the company.
Solely dedicated to security forensics and research, the ASTaR lab will use and build tools and techniques to evaluate the security resilience of 5G networks along with their related software, hardware, and applications.
The cybersecurity 5G testing lab will use the assessments for addressing emerging security threats. Researchers at the lab will work with the cybersecurity community for identifying emerging threat vectors as well as potential vulnerabilities.
Nokia chief strategy and technology officer Nishant Batra said: β5G will enable countless new services for consumers, government and businesses, and the industry must be hyper-vigilant in ensuring these 5G ecosystems are secure.
βTo demonstrate our leadership and commitment to security, Nokia will be the first to inaugurate a lab in the U.S. with the singular mission of identifying and preventing cybersecurity attacks. ASTaR lab will be an ideal testing ground to assess security in the larger context of network use and abuse scenarios.β
Nokia said that the 5G testing lab will be run as a central repository for cybersecurity knowledge that will be shared across the company and with its enterprise, operator, and government customers.
Additionally, the Finnish firm will partner with customers for considering attack scenarios against networks and watch how security measures will work against real security incursions.
The ASTaR lab will make use of the security research capabilities of Nokia Bell Labs, which is the research arm of Nokia.
Earlier this year, Bell Labs entered into a partnership with AT&T to build a distributed massive multiple-input multiple-output (DmMIMO) technology for substantially boosting uplink capacity and speeds in 5G networks.