Cybersecurity Awareness Begins With Secure Wireless Connectivity

By Julie Song, Forbes Councils Member.

October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time when organizations emphasize employee training, software updates and defensive postures. But one oft-overlooked element of cybersecurity posture is wireless connectivity. Even the most advanced cybersecurity stack can be undermined due to a porous cellular network. Just as connectivity is the foundation of most innovations we see today, it is also a critical component to secure data transmission.

Enterprises are becoming more connected, mobile and data-driven, which only increases the number of vulnerabilities associated with using Wi-Fi and public carrier networks. This is why private cellular networks have risen in popularity over the past decade.

According to Kaleido Intelligence, "There will be over 40,000 private 4G and 5G networks in 2030, representing growth of nearly 500 percent to the end of the decade." Private networks aren’t just crucial for offering better control over a company's connectivity; they are the backbone of true cybersecurity.

What are private cellular networks, and how do they work?

A private cellular network is a dedicated mobile network built on the same 4G LTE or 5G technology as commercial carrier networks, but is owned and managed by the enterprise itself. Instead of relying on a public carrier’s (i.e., Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T) shared infrastructure, organizations deploy their own local spectrum, core and radios to deliver cellular connectivity within a specified area such as a manufacturing plant, campus or other facility.

Every device that connects to the network is authenticated via a SIM or eSIM, encrypted end-to-end and managed under the organization’s own security policies. Whereas Wi-Fi broadcasts an open SSID (service set identifier) that can be spoofed or jammed, private cellular networks use licensed or shared spectrum like CBRS, 900MHz or C-band with strict access controls. This reduces exposure to rogue access points, man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized connections.

Private cellular networks also offer performance benefits such as low latency, quality of service and enhanced mobility, which is ideal for mission-critical applications and IoT deployments. For example, a network operator can allocate spectrum to different elements of their operation to ensure connectivity for certain tasks and not others.

Private networks also provide far more control for enterprise security frameworks, zero-trust architectures and data governance systems, making them a natural ally to cybersecurity strategies. Since private networks can be expensive, due to some higher upfront costs and ongoing maintenance, sometimes it is not necessary to secure all operations.

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For instance, a sports stadium can deploy a distributed antenna system (DAS) that establishes a private network to the administrative sector of their stadium (where all sensitive data is stored), but also deploy a public wireless network for concessions and guest connectivity.

Why are private cellular networks central to cyber defense?

The cybersecurity implications of private cellular networks are significant because they offer identity-based access at the network edge. Each SIM or eSIM acts as a hardware root of trust, giving organizations precise control over which devices can connect and what data they can access. This creates a secure foundation that’s built into the connectivity itself rather than layered on after the fact.

Private cellular networks also eliminate many of the shared vulnerabilities that come with public carrier or Wi-Fi environments. Because the enterprise owns and controls its own spectrum and infrastructure, there’s no reliance on shared systems that could introduce external risks.

This level of isolation greatly reduces exposure to breaches or service disruptions caused by attacks on broader public networks. It is analogous to major breaches caused by third-party software, such as the one involving MOVEit in 2023 that led to data breaches affecting over 2,500 organizations and the personal data of roughly 66.4 million individuals.

These networks can also simplify compliance with industry regulations that require data sovereignty and controlled access, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

In addition to protection, private cellular networks deliver benefits to visibility. Security teams can monitor every packet, device and connection in real time to provide the kind of granular insight needed for proactive threat detection and auditing. And because these networks are under enterprise control, they can operate independently if public networks are down. This really benefits industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and energy, where downtime and data breaches can have physical consequences.

As we reflect on this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s time to broaden our understanding of what “cyber awareness” truly means. It’s not just securing technology and training users on password hygiene. The conversation must extend to how data moves over the air, across devices and through the physical layer of connectivity itself.

Private cellular networks represent a convergence of networking and cybersecurity, and protecting connectivity at its source instead of after the fact. For organizations committed to a zero-trust future, that’s an awareness worth acting on.

Julie Song, President at Advanced RF Technologies (ADRF), responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company globally.

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