LIVE FROM MOBILE 360 EURASIA, MOSCOW: Javier Garcia Gomez, Ericsson CTO for Europe and Latin America (pictured, left), pointed to increased threat levels brought by 5G networks and cautioned the technology would be derailed if security was not a major consideration.

Gomez noted 5G was “a critical platform for business and society, but it won’t happen if security is not a central component. We will not put our lives and our economies on the network if we don’t trust this is a secure platform for development and social engagement.”

He added the dynamic, open nature of many 5G deployments featuring third party hardware, open architecture and interfaces would increase the level of threat to the network, meaning even more robust security procedures were needed.

“We need to make sure we have a system that creates end-to-end security, visibility and automation,” Gomez said. “The good news is the industry is well aware, and very solid to provide solutions. We are capable of creating a very strong ecosystem of security stacks.”

He, however, conceded the “journey will never end” towards secure networks with AI and machine learning tipped to play a major role in protecting modern networks.