O2 develops cybersecurity blueprint for self-driving cars

• O2 completes Innovate UK-funded project looking at the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of connected and autonomous vehicles

• Working with Cisco, Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, and Millbrook Proving Ground, O2 has helped develop a blueprint to help protect the UK’s self-driving cars from cyber-vulnerabilities

• The project comes at a critical time for the growing connected and autonomous vehicle market, as the industry is projected to be worth £28 billion by 20351

O2 has completed a project funded by Innovate UK, the UK Government-funded innovation agency, and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) to support the development of cybersecurity testing capabilities. O2 provided access to its technical subject matter experts during the 12-week-long Baselining, Automation and Response for CAV Testbed (BeARCAT) cybersecurity project, working alongside partners including technology company Cisco, Millbrook Proving Ground, and Warwick Manufacturing Group, the engineering, manufacturing, and technology department at the University of Warwick.

O2’s cybersecurity experts were responsible for determining the types of cyberattack and attackers that pose a threat to CAV networks2.  Their investigation focused on developing models that could be used to classify, manage, and mitigate cybersecurity risks for intelligent transport systems, which will be vital for ensuring the safety and security of road users in the future.

The security of the UK’s transport system has never been more important, and this will only increase with time as cyberattacks become more complex and sophisticated. One Cabinet Office report3 calculated that cybercrime costs the UK economy £27 billion annually, £21 billion of that to businesses, £3.1 billion to citizens, and £2.2 billion to the Government. Given the anticipated growth rates of the automotive cybersecurity market and the UK CAV market – estimated to be worth £28 billion in 20351 – project BeARCAT generated valuable insights into the risks and challenges of the deployment of connected and automated mobility in public areas.

The project, which was led by Cisco and conceived at Millbrook Proving Ground, a leading vehicle testing facility in Bedford, ran from 1 January to 31 March 2020. As a feasibility study, recommendations were put forward by the consortium to Innovate UK to form the basis of a future cybersecurity CAV test facility, which outlined the design, development, and trialling of the outputs of the phase 1 study.

This news follows the announcement in September 2019 that O2 would provide the connectivity for a new ‘Smart Ambulance’ at Millbrook Proving Ground as part of a trial to revolutionise patient diagnosis and early treatment, meaning that visits to hospitals are minimised as well as providing an improvement in clinical outcomes.

Brendan O’Reilly, CTO at O2 said: “If connected and autonomous vehicles are going to become a permanent fixture in our day-to-day lives, it will be critical that governments and the public feel reassured that this technology is secure from cyber-attacks. We’re proud to have worked alongside other sector leaders to create a cybersecurity blueprint that will help the UK lead the way when it comes to innovation in the intelligent transportation systems of the future.”

Peter Stoker, Chief Engineer – Connected & Autonomous Vehicles at Millbrook said: “BeARCAT has been a great opportunity to bring together sector experts over the course of this study: O2’s in-depth telecommunications knowledge, Cisco’s insights, and Warwick Manufacturing Group’s academic vigour all brought something new to Millbrook and our testing business. Looking to the future, it’s clear that the UK is well positioned to be one of the leaders in testing connected vehicles in a controlled environment.”

Professor Carsten Maple, Warwick Manufacturing Group and Principal Investigator of the NCSC-EPSRC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research at the University of Warwick said: “BeARCAT has provided the Warwick Manufacturing Group with a fantastic opportunity to work with leading organisations O2, Cisco and Millbrook. The collaborative effort has led to us taking our research from the academic into the practical environment and allowed us to shape the future of automotive cybersecurity in the UK.”

Joel Obstfeld, Distinguished Engineer in Cisco’s Emerging Technology and Incubation Team said: “The BeARCAT project brought together expertise from key sectors to the CAV ecosystem. From the operational expertise of the O2’s cybersecurity experts, Millbrook’s experience in the testing environment, the academic research capabilities of WMG, to Cisco’s expertise in networks and security services, BeARCAT offers a great example of the cross-disciplinary thinking required to create a viable testing framework to address cybersecurity challenges for CAVs in the UK.”

Source 02

Telia launches Ericsson-powered commercial 5G in Sweden

• Stockholm City Center first to benefit with most of Norrmalm, Östermalm and Vasastan to be covered by mid-June

• Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, says 5G will transform Swedish life, society and business for the better

• Initial 5G services to be enhanced following spectrum auctions later this year

PHOTO: Fredrik Jejdling Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson; Allison Kirkby, CEO, Telia Company; Anders Ygeman, Sweden’s Minister of Energy and Digital Development, at the Telia Company 5G launch in Stockholm.

Swedish communications service provider Telia Company has launched commercial 5G in Stockholm powered by Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions. Initial services on the 700Mhz band will cover most of central Stockholm by mid-June, including the Norrmalm, Östermalm and Vasastan districts. Telia aims to enhance and supplement its low-band 5G commercial services with additional nationwide 5G coverage, including mid- and high-bands, following the auction of the related spectrum by the Swedish government later this year. For this launch Telia is using its existing 700MHz spectrum, boosted by LTE and New Radio (NR) carrier aggregation.

Having already partnered successfully on 5G in Sweden - including enabling the country’s first live 5G network at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and partnering with Volvo to operate Sweden’s first industrial 5G network - Telia selected Ericsson as its 5G partner for the launch network. Earlier this month Telia’s sister company Telia Norway also launched its first commercial 5G services, with Ericsson as its sole 5G RAN supplier. Products and solutions from Ericsson Radio System are already powering the first Telia Company Stockholm City Center 5G services and supporting commercially available Telia 5G-ready smartphones.

Telia's 5G network is also powered 100 percent by renewable electricity, accredited by the Swedish Environmental Protection Association's Good Environmental Choice mark.

Anders Ygeman, Sweden’s Minister of Energy and Digital Development, joined senior Telia and Ericsson executives for today’s launch in Stockholm. Allison Kirkby, CEO, Telia Company, says: “Our networks have never been more important to lives and livelihoods, than now. Telia’s 5G launch lays the foundations for the next phase of digital transformation, with innovation, sustainability and security as three critical pillars, and we are proud to be doing this launch in partnership with Ericsson. As we roll-out 5G across Sweden, we will open up new user experiences and accelerated innovation in areas such as entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and transport, that will collectively strengthen and protect everyone living and working in Sweden, and Swedish competitiveness in the world.”

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, says: “This is a real milestone for us as a Swedish company as we partner with Telia Company to make commercial 5G a reality for its users in Stockholm.  Whether through enhanced mobile broadband or innovative new business, societal and industrial applications, 5G is set to change life and society for the better right across Sweden. We look forward to working with our strategic partner Telia Company to drive this change and ensure Sweden benefits from the competitive benefits of digitalization.”

With today’s launch Ericsson now has 39 live 5G networks in 22 countries. Ericsson’s live networks are part of the 91 commercial 5G agreements or contracts the company has with unique operators globally, of which 48 are publicly announced 5G deals.

Source: Ericsson

Omniflow's Smart Pole helps prevent beaches from becoming over crowded

Omniflow developed a solution with the new normal in mind , and more specifically for the return of a safe beach season, allowing to analyze the occupation of places, and at the same time inform the public of best practices.

The solution uses Omniflow's smart pole base technology that generates its own energy through the sun and wind, and has energy storage through the built-in batteries.

This allows the sustainable solution to be autonomous in this case, which will greatly facilitate its implementation in anywhere both in terms of infrastructure needed and time for deployment.

 The smart pole that already has included smart lighting and telecommunications will also be equipped with artificial intelligence and sensors that will allow the assessment of occupation of the total beach or the beach specific area.

This information will be presented on a low power consumption screen at the base of the pole that is located at the entrance, to inform the percentage of occupation of that area of the beach, but also of the nearest areas so that the users can choose an area with less concentrated people.

This information will also be transmitted to an App where the user can have access to the occupation in real time as well as the historical data of hourly occupation.

This way the user will be able to make an informed decision based on historical records as well as in real time, which will help to achieve a more uniform distribution of people on the beaches and that will also contribute for less travels to search for a spot.

 Privacy is guaranteed since data processing is done locally. The only data shared is only processed data from the percentage of occupancy of each zone.

When a zone exceeds the value that was previously defined as a limit, the system will show a red color at the traffic light, as well as an audio communication will be transmitted in order to alert that the zone is complete and that they should go to less concentrated area.

The audio system may also emit warning sounds alerting for safe social distance.

 As an option, the system can also have a module that allows contactless body temperature scan and hand sanitizer gel.

Omniflow will launch the Smartpole on the beaches in the Algarve in the coming weeks.

Source: Omniflow