5G and network transformation: five trends to watch in 2022

5G is beginning to make inroads in Africa, though its overall impact remains uneven and limited. With the technology now in its seventh year of deployment, this is a critical juncture for stakeholders to take immediate and coordinated action to accelerate deployment, deepen adoption and maximise the impact of 5G in the region. This includes addressing bottlenecks to spectrum availability and introducing policy incentives to stimulate both consumer and enterprise demand, particularly in markets where operators have already invested heavily in network rollouts.

This white paper, using evidence from a GSMA Intelligence survey of operators in Asia Pacific, explains why traditional perimeter-based security is no longer enough and what operators need to do to build a more resilient, architecture-led approach. It covers how AI is changing the threat landscape; why expanding attack surfaces require stronger governance; and how native security, depth defence, dual security operation centre (SOC) operations and AI-enabled tools can help operators protect critical networks.

To aid operators that are evaluating middle-mile transport solutions, GSMA Intelligence has developed the TCO Calculator, based on research and analysis of existing and emerging middle-mile transport solutions across a number of deployment scenarios around the world. The rapid expansion of 5G networks is driving an unprecedented surge in mobile data consumption, which is placing immense pressure on the middle mile. As a result, operators must diversify their product/solution mix for middle-mile transport.