Dish Network has selected Palo Alto Networks to provide security solutions for its effort to build the first cloud-native, OpenRAN-based 5G wireless network in the United States.
Palo Alto Networks will support Dish with container security, network slicing protection, real-time threat correlation and dynamic policy enforcement. Dish plans to deploy Palo Alto’s VM-Series and CN-Series next-generation firewalls along with Prisma Cloud to secure cloud-native functions and workloads across the network.
Dish is pursuing a greenfield 5G deployment using open radio access network (OpenRAN) architecture, targeting an initial market launch this year. The OpenRAN approach emphasizes interoperable, software-driven components and cloud-native design, which introduces new security considerations that Dish intends to address from the outset.
The U.S. government has promoted OpenRAN as a way to diversify suppliers and reduce reliance on vendors such as Huawei and ZTE, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has identified as national security risks. At the same time, industry observers have cautioned that OpenRAN’s disaggregated, software-first model requires robust, integrated security solutions to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
“As part of our efforts to revolutionize wireless connectivity, it’s imperative that we integrate security into our 5G network from the ground up,” said Marc Rouanne, Dish chief network officer. “We are incorporating innovative, next-generation vendors to provide our network with 5G-native security solutions from day one of deployment.”
Lee Klarich, chief product officer at Palo Alto Networks, added: “5G promises much more than increased browsing speeds on mobile devices. When built as a secure network, 5G can deliver significant business transformation and enable smart supply chains, autonomous transportation, advanced manufacturing, widespread IoT adoption and more. We are pleased to help Dish realize its vision of an open, secure 5G network.”
This partnership announcement comes amid a cooling of relations between Dish and T-Mobile. On April 1, Dish filed an ex parte notice with the FCC criticizing T-Mobile for what it described as an anti-competitive decision to retire the Sprint CDMA network by January 2022.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
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