The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and Cisco are collaborating to build a testbed for 5G and associated enabling technologies. This project is part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program in Singapore.
For this purpose, the two parties signed a memorandum of intent. The MOI was signed by Tay Bee Kheng, president of Cisco ASEAN, and Terence Chia, Assistant Chief Executive of IMDA.
Emerging technologies like 5G have enabled industrial and commercial use cases, contributing to productivity gains. However, these technologies have also expanded the attack surface and presented new challenges for cyber resilience.
The collaboration between Cisco and IMDA explores the opportunities and challenges that come with such emerging technologies.
Cisco and IMDA will collaborate on the following areas. First, experimenting with emerging technologies. Cisco will provide IMDA with various technologies and architectures in its 5G testbed, including its hybrid 5G Core Network Architecture. The testbed allows IMDA to experiment and evaluate applications of such emerging technologies.
Second, enhancing industry understanding. Workshop and panel dialogues between IMDA and Cisco’s technology experts on threat intelligence and technology for all parties to keep pace with current industry trends, including the potential to harness AI for 5G cybersecurity.
And third, bolstering technology capabilities. As part of Cisco’s CDA program, Cisco will provide technology updates through a series of training sessions to share the latest trends and best practices in 5G and other topics.
“Technologies like 5G bring both opportunities and challenges for our digital world,” Chia said. “Working with leading technology partners, like Cisco, allows us to collectively gain a better understanding of how we can shape the resilience and cyber-security of our digital infrastructure for Singapore’s digital future.”
Tay said that as businesses leverage 5G technologies to catalyze their growth and realize their digital ambitions, cybersecurity needs to be a priority.
“While 5G might empower new technological capabilities, it also expands the threat surface,” she added.
