eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
As Zimbabwe embraces 5G network for a competitive economy, all stakeholders should ensure digital infrastructure is also secure as research shows growing cyber security threats in the country, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.
Zimbabwe is among the first few African countries to launch 5G together with the likes of South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Botswana.
The 5G network has potential to support millions of devices at ultrafast speeds and potential to transform global economies by improving accessibility, extending reach of mobile broadband, while supporting critical sectors such as health, financial, education services sectors as well as manufacturing.
Muswere said as the country angles to tap into the global US$2,2 trillion revenue from digitalisation drive, 5G then becomes the growth engine for the Zimbabwean economy. It will encourage the deployment of advanced infrastructure and positively affect gross domestic product (GDP).
However, the same can also give rise to fraudsters as businesses, Government departments, industry, health and financial services become connected, which Muswere said called for cushioning against cyber threats.
“As we expand the adoption of 5G, we must be mindful of the potential for new cyber risks. 5G systems are fundamentally different from those of previous generations, which were primarily based on hardware. 5G is more software-based, which opens up new potential vulnerabilities.
“Digital infrastructure must be secure. Consumers and businesses must have confidence that our 5G networks are resilient.
“With that in mind, telcos must commit to adopt a ‘zero-trust’ posture. This means that telcos must first verify all activity before trusting it. There must also be constant monitoring and vigilance for suspicious activities,” he said during the Global Renaissance Investments (GRI) ninth edition of the Zimbabwe ICT Conference and Awards held recently in the capital.
According to a Cyber Security Report 2021 the prevalence of cyber security in Zimbabwe is on the increase with 82 percent of businesses saying they have experienced it as cybercriminals take advantage of the growing digitalization to attack digital infrastructure.
The report also shows the state of the threat in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe where the most common cyber security threats cited were malware, web-application attacks, email phishing and impersonation, identity theft, data breaches and denial of services.
As a result of the threats, 93 percent of information technology (IT) decision makers in Zimbabwe said their companies increased their focus on cyber security.
According to the report, 71 percent of businesses cited phishing and spam as the biggest threats to security.
Muswere added that while the country was experiencing growing digitalisation, spurred by the Covid 19 pandemic, it was imperative for close collaboration between academia, private and public sectors in building a secure and sustainable digitally enabled economy.
“The success and sustainability of our digitalisation efforts hinges critically on close collaboration between industry, community partners and government.
“These partnerships are critical in ensuring a secure and resilient 5G infrastructure and compelling use cases that will position us well to realise the full potential of the global 5G opportunity.
“It also calls for cross-border partnerships to build interoperable systems to secure a thriving, secure and inclusive digital future for all,” he said.
There are also worries deployment of higher networks in African countries will also widen the continent’s digital divide with only half the people on the continent with access to mobile phones and the majority of them still on 2G technology.
An estimated 9 percent of connections in Africa were 4G in 2019, nearly a decade after its launch in other countries. The global mobile industry association (GSMA) however says there is opportunity for Africa with 4G figures expected to increase to 27 percent by 2025 while 3 percent of connected phones will run on 5G.
