CTIA Announces Expansion of 5G Security Test Bed with Addition of Syniverse

WASHINGTON – The 5G Security Test Bed, a CTIA initiative to test and validate recommendations for 5G security in partnership with the wireless industry, today announces the addition of Syniverse to the Test Bed. Syniverse joins members that span industry, government and academia, including AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular, Ericsson, MITRE, and SecureG.

“Syniverse is an invaluable addition to the 5G Security Test Bed,” stated CTIA Senior Vice President and CTO, Tom Sawanobori. “Their participation demonstrates a strong commitment to network security, service assurance, and roaming security. We look forward to working with Syniverse to strengthen 5G security.”

Syniverse continues to make significant investments in its proprietary Secured Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) and will add its expertise to the initiative’s slate of industry members to drive future tests. In partnership with CTIA, Syniverse will leverage more than three decades of experience and expertise in roaming signaling and interoperability with other trusted mobile network operators and vendors.

“We are excited to partner with CTIA to further validate 5G security in a real-world testing environment,” said Chief Executive Officer of Syniverse, Andrew Davies. “Syniverse is steadfast in its commitment to meet the highest security standards, providing protection for our 5G SEPP and infrastructure against cybersecurity threats that come with 5G interoperability.”

Nearly Two Years of Collaborative Success

• The 5G Security Test Bed, launched in early 2022, is a unique collaboration and dedicated lab to test and validate 5G security recommendations and use cases from government agencies, standards bodies, wireless operators, and others. It is the only initiative that uses commercial-grade network equipment and facilities to demonstrate and validate how 5G security recommendations will work in practical, real-world conditions.
• Since its founding, the 5G Security Test Bed has completed several rounds of tests in 5G non-standalone (NSA, built on top of 4G) and standalone (SA, built specifically for 5G) network configurations. These tests have successfully demonstrated the efficacy of several optional 5G network security features, providing valuable insights to industry, standards bodies, and government for strengthening 5G security.
• The 5G Security Test Bed has successfully tested recommendations from the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) advisory group, validating that encryption techniques, including IPsec and mutual transport layer security (mTLS), protect data from interception, modification, or other manipulation when incorporated into 5G networks.
• The Test Bed has also verified the value of network slicing in enhancing network security, confirming that individual user devices and their data can be isolated to specific slices, additional encryption can be added to individual slices, and that overlaying layers of encryption does not impact network performance.

Additional information about the Test Bed, past and future tests, and how to participate is available at www.5GSecurityTestBed.com.

About CTIA
CTIA® (www.ctia.org) represents the U.S. wireless communications industry and the companies throughout the mobile ecosystem that enable Americans to lead a 21st century connected life. The association’s members include wireless carriers, device manufacturers, suppliers as well as apps and content companies. CTIA vigorously advocates at all levels of government for policies that foster continued wireless innovation and investment. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices, hosts educational events that promote the wireless industry and co-produces the industry’s leading wireless tradeshow. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.

About Syniverse

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