Key Takeaways:
- Mobile network operators spend between $15 and $19 billion annually on core cybersecurity functions, with projected spending reaching over $40 billion by 2030.
- Rising attack volumes and complex regulatory requirements pose significant challenges to mobile network security.
- Operators face friction from overlapping layers of regulation, including telecom licenses, national cyber rules, and data protection laws.
- Outcome-based and risk-based rules can help reduce risk and improve security outcomes.
- Global standards, such as ISO 27001, can reduce duplication and facilitate compliance.
- Principles for policymakers, including aligning with global standards and reducing duplication, can support consistent policy and improve security.
Introduction to Mobile Network Security Challenges
Mobile networks are a critical component of the world’s digital infrastructure, carrying a significant portion of global digital activity. As a result, mobile network operators are a frequent target for cyberattacks, with some operators recording billions of attempts each year to scan for weaknesses or push malicious traffic into their networks. The economic importance of mobile access adds pressure, as mobile networks are often the primary means of accessing financial services, public portals, and health systems in many countries. A single breach can interrupt these activities and damage trust, making it essential for operators to invest in robust cybersecurity measures.
The Complexity of Regulatory Requirements
The regulatory landscape for mobile network security is complex, with multiple layers of regulation that can create friction and drain time from security teams. In most markets, security obligations are spread across telecom licenses, national cyber rules, data protection laws, cloud policies, and AI rules. Operators must meet different versions of the same requirement several times, with varying definitions and timelines. This complexity can lead to duplication of effort and increased costs, as operators must maintain separate compliance processes for each market. Furthermore, cross-border variation in regulatory requirements can add to the burden, forcing operators to navigate different interpretations of shared frameworks and maintain separate compliance processes for each market.
The Impact of Input-Driven Rules
Many regulatory frameworks focus on required controls rather than security outcomes, which can encourage a "box-ticking" mindset that satisfies compliance but does little to reduce risk. Audits may check for specific technologies, even when newer or more suitable options exist, and agencies may issue unplanned information requests that are not tied to a threat. These tasks can disrupt planned work inside security teams and make it harder to focus on detection or response. In contrast, outcome-based and risk-based rules can help reduce risk and improve security outcomes by giving operators room to choose the right tools and practices for their networks.
The Benefits of Alignment and Global Standards
When regulatory frameworks align, operators benefit from a shared baseline for protection. Horizontal cybersecurity laws that apply across critical infrastructure sectors can provide a structure that is easier to update and interpret. Global standards, such as ISO 27001, can reduce duplication by allowing operators to show compliance through existing processes instead of creating new ones for each market. This approach also helps vendors and partners that support several operators across regions. Well-run institutions with defined mandates and the right expertise can also make oversight predictable, reducing the likelihood of conflicting requests or uneven enforcement.
The Uneven Impact Across Markets
Operators in low- and middle-income countries face particular strain due to the critical role that mobile access plays in these markets. Mobile access often replaces fixed broadband, and it also supports mobile money, government services, and remote work. However, operators in these regions often report lower revenue per user, which limits available investment for security. When regulatory demands increase without regard for local conditions, these operators may struggle to keep pace, creating weak points in a global system where attackers look for the easiest path into interconnected networks.
Principles for Policymakers
The study outlines six principles for policymakers to support consistent policy and improve security. These principles include aligning with global standards, reducing duplication, centering rules on outcomes and risk, improving information sharing, promoting security by design, and building strong institutions to enforce them. Each principle supports the idea that operators need rules that are well-defined, proportionate, and stable. When frameworks meet these conditions, operators can invest in measures that reduce risk instead of spending time on procedural work. By working together, guided by a common set of principles, regulators and operators can create a safer digital ecosystem that protects citizens and critical societal services.
