Introduction

In January 2018, ABI Research authored a white paper examining the cost structures of two V2X technologies; IEEE 802.11p standard and 3GPP Release 14 C-V2X. In particular, this white paper considered two potential integrations of these technologies into an LTE TCU architecture featuring Wi-Fi (single band) connectivity. The white paper was highly focused in scope, considering the immediate opportunities for the integration of these two technologies to address a narrow, mission-critical application common to both technologies, with an accompanying functional safety requirement. ABI Research would like to take this opportunity to further educate the market and elaborate on the assumptions made in the white paper, how these assumptions informed architecture choices, and how these assumptions drove the cost difference between the 802.11p+LTE and C-V2X+LTE architectures considered in the report.

LTE-Advanced Pro was ratified in March 2016, making it possible to achieve gigabit download speed theoretically. Gigabit LTE with its three defining technologies of 4X4MIMO, 256QAM, and 3+ carrier aggregation (CA) with a minimum aggregated bandwidth of 60 MHz addresses many of the pressing issues facing mobile operators today. This is because, even though theoretical speeds are never realized in real-world conditions, peak speeds of 300 Mbps have been reported compared with the 10 Mbps on LTE networks today. Increased speeds alone ease network congestion. Add to that the spectral efficiency of MIMO technology and the software upgrade to 256 QAM, and operators can gain substantial improvement in usage of resources and managing network congestion. As consumers continue to use more mobile broadband data for a variety of services, such as live streaming of high-quality video or the use of augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) devices, upgrading the RAN to support these services will be essential. One of the main reasons that network congestion is a concern for operators is that competition is driving them to offer unlimited data plans in mature telco economies. In other regions, and especially in developing economies, few operators can offer unlimited data, although many are taking steps in this direction by increasing the current data caps.

The deployment of telco networks is a complex, expensive exercise that is governed by strict regulations once licenses are awarded. In the past, voice and data traffic growth has fueled—and justified—nationwide mobile or fixed network deployments, but it is not yet clear what new revenues 5G will bring. Given that managed services and network sharing are typical procedures in network deployment nowadays, are we about to experience the next evolution of telco network deployment? Will vendors play a larger role in next-generation networks? 

Only a couple of weeks have passed since Apple shipped its first iPhone X smartphone and already hackers have claimed to circumvent the device’s FaceID authentication system. Using a combination of 3D printed mask, color printouts, and a silicon nose mold, the group demonstrated that it could fake the iPhone X sensor into believing the mask was the trained user.

OTT viewing is making a drastic shift from being focused on video-on-demand (VOD) content to live, including large amounts of viewing for flagship events. This puts additional pressure on network technology as well as origin servers. At the same time, the content is destined for the cloud – which is one reason why cloud-hosted workflows are such a natural fit, and the market is evolving so quickly to support live demands. From the commercial perspective, content availability and service launches of live video are driven by many significant factors, especially:

Quantum computing and information theory could therefore create powerful computers, capable of staggering processing speeds and incredibly accurate measurements, as well as enabling the foundation of a highly secure communication infrastructure. However, this same type of power presents dangers as well in that it could just as easily break many of the cryptographic technologies in use today.

"We were doing V2V ten years ago, before V2V became cool!"

The rapid spread of the Petya ransomware is unfortunate yet unsurprising. The WannaCry attack should have been a wake-up call for organizations worldwide of the ease with which malicious actors are profiting from increased connectivity and shoddy cybersecurity. Instead, it provided a valuable case study to cybercriminals about the widespread damage even a mediocre ransomware campaign can inflict. While the components of WannaCry ransomware itself (such as the use of the NSA’s EternalBlue exploit) were sophisticated, the kill switch revealed its Achille’s heel; and one that was inadvertently discovered by security professional MalwareTech relatively early into its global infection.

Phishing attacks continue to be one of the most popular methods of illegitimately obtaining funds, identities, and credentials.  Social engineering, at its best, can entice users to pay over large sums of money, and provide access to private and confidential data that is normally locked down.   The activity has evolved significantly over the years, and today, complex and targeted phishing attacks can be difficult to detect by even the savviest IT professionals. Phishing is not just attractive for financially motivated cybercriminals, but also for state-sponsored threat actors. The Callisto Group, uncovered by F-Secure, is particularly adept at setting up sophisticated phishing infrastructure for cyber espionage purposes targeting high-profile groups, including military personnel, government officials, think tanks, and journalists.