ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has unveiled comprehensive 5G security guidelines to safeguard the country’s next-generation digital infrastructure. The move sets strict standards for telecom operators, vendors, and service providers as nationwide 5G deployment approaches.
Prepared by the PTA’s Cyber Security Directorate, the 2025 guidelines treat 5G security as a matter of national security, economic stability, and public safety. Unlike previous mobile generations, 5G will power critical functions including smart cities, industrial automation, e-health, and digital governance, expanding the nation’s attack surface.
Key measures include SUCI encryption to prevent IMSI tracking, home-network-controlled authentication to reduce fraud, mutual TLS and OAuth 2.0 for 5G core APIs, and Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) to shield roaming networks. The guidelines also mandate a Zero Trust security model from core networks to edge computing.
Operators are required to deploy AI-driven anomaly detection, enforce network slice isolation, secure edge nodes, and integrate all domains with SOC and SIEM platforms. Millions of IoT devices are considered high-risk, requiring secure boot, firmware integrity, tamper-resistant hardware, and AKMA-based authentication.
The PTA also emphasizes physical security, insider risk mitigation, and third-party audits. By embedding security into architecture, operations, and governance, the guidelines aim to ensure Pakistan’s 5G rollout is resilient, internationally credible, and capable of supporting critical national services safely.