Page 51 - Cyber Defense eMagazine forJune 2021

With 3G and 4G, mobile operators and vendors touted cellular as being inherently more secure than Wi-
Fi, which hackers had learned how to eavesdrop on to harvest data traffic. But this creates a false sense
of security — one that carries over to 5G, too. As long as the standard for wireless communications is
radio frequency (RF), the IoT network signal can be intercepted and potentially decrypted to obtain
sensitive information.
OWC is inherently more secure than RF. One reason is because an RF signal is delivered to both
intended and unintended recipients. Some unauthorized recipients may have the ability to decrypt that
data.
By comparison, a laser is focused on the intended recipient, making it extremely difficult for unintended
users to detect that signal, let alone eavesdrop on the voice, video or data that it carries. This inherent
security is a major reason why government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense and many
commercial users are so interested in optic wireless as an alternative to RF.
Another key benefit is speed. For example, optical communications systems that support over 100 GB
per second in point-to-point links have been developed.

OWC’s security and speed do not come with a hefty price premium, either. Overall, from a size, weight,
power, and cost perspective, an OWC solution will be less expensive than its RF equivalent. One of the
main advantages of OWC is that its operating spectrum is currently un-regulated, and thus there is no
cost for utilizing the particular spectrum. The acquisition cost of 5G spectrum on the other hand can be
quite costly as evidenced by the recent FCC Auction 107, which closed at a staggering $80.9 billion for
use of the 3.7-3.98 GHz band. As seen in the evolution of electronics technology, it is expected that not
only do the next generation of capabilities come cheaper on a unit basis (e.g., cost per bit), but must
come down geometrically. OWC equipment will do just that as its ability to do 10 to 100 gigabits will be
very efficient.
Optical wireless also can complement 5G. One example is providing fronthaul or backhaul to cell sites in
rural communities and other remote areas where fiber and copper are unavailable or prohibitively
expensive to build out and RF would not support high enough throughput to support the traffic. For both
public and private 5G networks — regardless of location — optical wireless connectivity also provides a
way to address vulnerabilities on the backhaul or fronthaul.

In these scenarios, optical wireless serves as a powerful new layer of security for 5G networks — and all
of the IoT applications running over them. Considering all of the emerging threat vectors that mobile
operators, private network owners and end users will have to contend with in a 5G world, optical wireless
is in the right place at the right time.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – June 2021 Edition 51
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