Australia's Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) has entered into a collaboration with governmental departments from four other nations to form the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT).
Alongside Australia, the United Kingdom’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the United States’ National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Canada’s Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development have also become signatories.
The formation of this coalition comes at a crucial time for the telecommunications industry, which faces multifaceted security threats.
These threats range from cyberattacks aimed at stealing customer data, as was saw in the 2022 attack on Optus, to attacks intended to disrupt network and communication services.
Align (NASDAQ:ALGN) security approaches
The representatives of the five signatory countries plan to meet biannually to discuss a variety of topics, which include but are not limited to, telecommunications security, with the aim of ensuring that national approaches are complementary.
This working-level forum will enable member countries to share information, insights and expertise on policy associated with essential technology and communications.
In a statement on the initiative DITRDCA said: “The forum will be a useful mechanism to align approaches with like-minded partners and share lessons learned in domestic policy, regulatory development and implementation.
314% increase in attacks
According to a 2022 DDoS report by the Zayo Group, there was a staggering 314% increase in overall attacks in 2022 compared to 2021.
The report highlighted that telecommunications companies have increasingly become the focus of such attacks. In the first half of 2023 alone, telecommunications companies accounted for approximately half of the total attack volume.
The largest aggregate attack, clocking in at 978 gigabits per second (Gbps), targeted the telecom sector.
Challenges in 5G
A NetScout threat intelligence report underscored the challenges brought about by the rapid expansion of 5G technology.
The report stated that, “The growth of subscribers and 5G wireless to the home, for both mobile and Internet of Things devices, has grown at an incredible pace from 12.6 million in 2019 to a projected 1.6 billion by the end of 2023.
“This growth brings with it a vibrant playground for adversaries to conscript 5G-connected devices into attacks.
"It also presents an opportunity for attacks to target more types of devices and network access points than ever before.”
The DITRDCA statement noted that the GCOT is cognisant of the need for all member nations to assure the security, resilience, and innovation of both their own and the global telecommunications networks.
This includes securing technologies that are both currently in use and those that will be developed in the future.