Any discussion about how technology is changing entertainment should include 5G. The new wireless networking standard could completely transform the entertainment landscape—and with it media and entertainment cyber security.
And it's no mystery why: 5G can offer radically faster download speeds, vastly reduced latency, much higher network capacity and other benefits that could fuel an explosion in new applications, platforms, devices and possibilities for entertainment.
How technology is changing entertainment
5G is expected to usher in a new world of ultra-high-definition mobile streaming video, as well as immersive media, such as real-time, 360-degree video, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), in-car entertainment, advanced video games, holographic displays, immersive advertising, and many other incredible new environments and approaches for entertainment.
Live events like sports, awards shows, movie premieres and historical news events could be experienced by large audiences in real time through 360 video that could make it feel like they're really there. Those actually at sports events could have games and matches augmented with data overlaid on the real-time action through AR.
Mobile AR could be built into ordinary prescription glasses and worn all day, and the quality of this experience should be enabled by 5G.
We can also look forward to more blending of marketing, advertising and entertainment. The nascent world of experiential marketing could be turbocharged by 5G and all the capabilities it can deliver. The blending of fun with product marketing is already a big part of how technology is changing entertainment, and 5G could accelerate that.
5G-enabled digital entertainment experiences could be paid for in many cases with zero-touch checkout. Digital mobile payments will be strongly incentivized by the 5G-enabled speed of processing these payments.
While 5G is expected to transform entertainment, it could also transform the ability of creatives and influencers to generate content.
We can anticipate and envision better versions of today's platforms and applications. But the truth is that 5G is likely to enable entertainment ideas nobody has thought of yet.
Media and entertainment cyber security
5G itself is not a security risk. But the new technologies that will surround and be enabled by 5G could be. In fact, the future of mobile wireless cyber security will become nearly synonymous with media and entertainment cyber security.
The management of 5G networks will likely require artificial intelligence (AI) to process and control massive amounts of data. That data will be a tempting target for cyber criminals.
New software will be required for new technologies like 5G and the infrastructure that supports it, and so that software will be another potential point of attack.
And, of course, 5G will usher in a new world of devices that can be compromised, like headsets, glasses, holographic displays and more. And these devices could be another new point of vulnerability and impact media and entertainment cyber security.
In other words, 5G will be attended by a greatly expanded attack surface. But with all those new potential security risks comes a host of security benefits.
How 5G enhances security
Unlike previous generations of network technology, 5G is primarily software-defined, which enables network slicing—dividing into many isolated networks that each serve specific applications. This should minimize the potential impact of a security breach by reducing the applications and data that can be accessed on a single network.
Another media and entertainment cyber security boost is that 5G can enable custom security updates for every device, and also speed up (and thereby facilitate) strong encryption.
5G can enable the speedy encrypted transmission of virtually everything, including the mobile identity data for devices. It will also make possible the reliable and consistent use of advanced cryptographic algorithms with 256 bits. Data traffic inside 5G infrastructures will be encrypted, too. This individualized encryption of each kind of data traffic will function like sandboxes. If one part is compromised, the other parts should remain protected by the encryption.
Although the transition to 5G will likely include a great many new security risks and threats, it will also solve many of the security risks and threats now faced by organizations that provide products and services in entertainment. In the future of 5G-enabled entertainment, the entire security picture will change. Security tools will have to change. Security practices will have to change. And the sooner, the better.
Learn more about how technology is changing entertainment, and explore more Verizon technologies that are enhancing media and entertainment cyber security.