Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks sought to capitalise on growing industry concerns around 5G and IoT security, announcing a new firewall product designed to help operators deliver both massive throughput and protection for mission-critical applications.

CEO Nikesh Arora unveiled the new K2 series during an earnings call, noting “every CIO, every CSO is concerned about making sure that their environment is protected” as operators plan their transitions from 4G to 5G and massive IoT.

Lee Klarich, Palo Alto Network’s chief product officer, explained a significant portion of new IoT deployments will serve mission-critical applications across segments including healthcare and autonomous vehicles, making security “a critical driver for this change from 4G to 5G”.

The executives said the new firewall has been developed specifically to balance service providers’ high throughput and high scale needs with increased security and price concerns. The company plans to launch it in early 2019.

Arora noted the launch is part of a play to strengthen the company’s performance in the service provider segment. He acknowledged “we have traditionally not done as well as we would like” in that particular arena, but added “we’re about to change that”.

“This is a journey that we started a while ago. It is a security-focused journey and it is the product that is clearly differentiated in the marketplace, and we hope given the more sensitivity around security, we will continue to take market share.”