Private networks are booming, but security blind spots exist without proper device visibility. GSMA Device Database and GSMA Device Map enable private network operators to validate, secure, and optimize their devices and their networks – which is crucial as private network complexities and investments escalate.
In sum – what to know:
Growth market – private networks are growing fast in terms of deployments and investments but blind spots in device visibility create security and performance risks for enterprises.
Device intelligence – GSMA Device Database and GSMA Device Map deliver insights on device legitimacy, type, and features, enabling automated validation and stronger network control.
Critical infrastructure – automated device validation helps enterprises to secure critical infrastructure, enforce policies, guarantee performance, and future-proof their investments.
It is a boom time for private networks – to reorganize and revitalize the global economy. The whole enterprise space is being retooled with a view to support advanced AI workloads to bring new intelligence to industrial operations. Private mobile networks are being commissioned to carry dedicated enterprise traffic from all kinds of devices, sensors, and machinery for processing in edge- and cloud-based computing systems – and back again, in a continuous cycle to drive faster insights and better decisions. But something is missing: proper knowledge about what is connecting to the network.
Which is a recipe for security blind spots and performance bottlenecks, says the GSMA. “Visibility is the foundation for security and performance on a network,” says Tyler Smith, head of managed services at the GSMA. “If you don’t know what’s connecting, you can’t secure it, optimize it, or plan for it.” The definitive “source of truth” to know if a cellular device – of any kind – is legitimate is its TAC (Type Allocation Code) number, the first eight digits in an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, assigned to identify the make and model, as well as key hardware, software, and network features.
GSMA is custodian of the definitive TAC database of mobile devices. Because it assigns them in the first place – to every cellular-enabled device, from smartphones to connected modules in industrial machinery, medical equipment, and beyond. It has data on more than 250,000 unique mobile device models; new entries are added daily. The point is: enterprises, integrators, vendors, operators – and any other service providers in the bustling private networks game – need to establish clear visibility into their devices to maintain control and confidence in the security and performance of their networks.
Smith says: “If you have a private network in a critical facility, and you don’t have this data, then you don’t know – automatically, and for certain – that every device is valid and fit for purpose on the network. You can’t troubleshoot so easily; for example, misbehaving devices like sensors generating unusual traffic or devices connecting incorrectly can be hard to pinpoint. You can’t know so easily that new devices will work properly in terms of spectrum support, and everything you need to think about when you’re buying a bunch of IoT sensors, say. Internal policies are easier to enforce with accurate intelligence.”
GSMA Device Database and Device Map – part of the organisation’s Device Intelligence proposition – afford a way for private network operators to automate checks and balances on fleets of devices in their factories, plants, warehouses, ports, wards, offices. Each TAC represents up to a million IMEIs; while enterprises don’t need every number, they do need to know – at model level – whether the device attaching to their network is genuine, valid, and fit-for-purpose. “Is that a smartphone or an IoT sensor – and should it be there in the first place? That’s a piece of the validation our data offers,” says Tyler.
And the private networks space is full of new challenges. It is novel technology for lots of enterprises, and secure device management might be an afterthought – even when seasoned suppliers are at the helm. “It is important to have this data to analyze, manage, and secure your network.” It is a timely warning for a global market that is growing fast. Berg Insight forecasts 13,500 private networks by 2026, a ten-fold jump on 2021.
The level of spending on these networks – capturing investments in everything from radio (RAN) and core network componentry, through to edge infrastructure and software services – is spiralling at an even faster rate: about 30-fold over the course of a decade, from $3.7 billion in 2021 to $109.4 billion by 2030. Private 5G installations will contribute about 43 percent of the total spend in the period. Systems are becoming busier and more complex, and directly attached to increasingly critical production infrastructure. So the stakes are high, and device management is crucial.
Without precise intelligence on device models, features, and purposes, private network operators risk misallocating resources – or worse, leaving the door open to rogue devices. GSMA Device Database provides about 30 core attributes per device; GSMA Device Map takes this further, starting with the primary device type and purpose, and layering-in over 150 attributes – from operating system to network support to hardware specifications. Such granularity allows enterprises to enforce access policies, set quality-of-service priorities, and future-proof their investments. “It’s as much about planning for what could connect tomorrow, as it is about managing what you have today,” says Tyler.
The service is already used by mobile operators and device management (MDM) vendors, enterprise service providers, and insurers, regulators and governments. Around 600 customers rely on it to validate devices, prevent fraud, and streamline operations. For private networks, the GSMA sees a broad set of adopters: mobile operators, network vendors, system integrators, security players, and enterprises themselves – even seeking to double-check their suppliers. “Many stakeholders can benefit from this data — from network operations and IT to product, marketing, and customer experience and support.”
To learn more and get in touch with the GSMA, visit the GSMA Industry Services for Private Networks page.
