- The project will focus on secure and reliable end-to-end network slicing for 5G mobile and beyond networks in collaboration with leading Canadian companies including BlackBerry, Rockport Networks, and NoviFlow
- BlackBerry to develop novel technologies to support Zero Trust approach to software supply chain
- Rockport scale fabrics to support AI at the edge for safety-critical autonomous systems
- NoviFlow high-performance SDN network operating software to support the deployment of the multi-access edge cloud
WATERLOO,
Ontario — January
11,
2023
— Today,
the
University
of
Waterloo
announced
a
5G
and
beyond
mobile
network
technology
consortium
funded
by
the
Department
of
National
Defence
(DND)
to
improve
Canada’s
security
and
defence
through
its
Innovation
for
Defence
Excellence
and
Security
(IDEaS)
program.
A
team
of
computer
scientists
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
is
leading
the
$1.5
million
multi-partner
consortium.
Called the “Secure and reliable end-to-end network slicing for 5G and beyond mobile networks,” the three-year project brings together academic and industry partners from École de technologie supérieure in Montréal, University of Regina, BlackBerry, NoviFlow, and Rockport Networks, with support from Rogers Communications Canada to create new solutions to secure 5G mobile networks. This latest global wireless standard delivers reliable, high-speed data transfers with ultra-low latency — advanced communications technology that is transforming businesses, industries, and nations.
Research
team
at
Waterloo’s
Cheriton
School
of
Computer
Science.
L
to
R:
Professor
and
Director
Raouf
Boutaba
(project
principal
investigator),
Research
Professor
Noura
Limam
(project
co-investigator
and
coordinator),
and
Professor
Diogo
Barradas
(project
co-investigator)
“Our mobile communications networks can be sliced using software into fit-for-purpose networks that operate virtually, each with a different degree of isolation and level of quality-of-service to meet security and performance requirements,” said Professor Raouf Boutaba, the project’s principal investigator and director of Waterloo’s Cheriton School of Computer Science. “However, network softwarization also introduces vulnerabilities that can compromise services, including slices. The goal of the consortium is to deploy 5G network slices that not only have high performance, flexibility and reliability but also have increased security levels required for critical applications.”
“The solution we are developing will have many, long-lasting impacts on Canadian industry and defence,” said Dr. Noura Limam, a research professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science and the project’s coordinator. “Applications that range as widely as healthcare, public safety, emergency response and unmanned vehicles will benefit from these secure, responsive 5G network slices, positioning Canada as a leader in 5G and beyond mobile networks. Additionally, the innovations developed in collaboration with our industry partners — Rockport Networks, NoviFlow and BlackBerry — will further Canada’s economic prosperity.”
Key contributions from BlackBerry, Rockport Networks, and NoviFlow include the following:
- BlackBerry: 5G introduces Software-Defined Networking capabilities which allow network operations to flexibly change and is combined with a “softwarization” of networks where bespoke networking hardware is being replaced with software, thus changing the nature of the networking software supply chain. BlackBerry will leverage its knowledge of software supply chain security to build new solutions for identifying and blocking the insertion of malicious software into the 5G supply chain.
- Rockport Networks: the scale fabrics innovator will provide University of Waterloo researchers with resilient, high-performance local area networks to power safety-critical AI workloads at the 5G edge. Rockport distributes switching to the edge for faster processing, ultra-low latency and high availability in a smaller, cost-efficient and low power footprint than centralized architectures.
- NoviFlow: the multi-terabyte Software-Defined Networking solutions with programmable network fabric developed by NoviFlow will provide University of Waterloo with the technology needed for deploying a high-performance and scalable Multi-Access Edge Cloud for on-demand deployment of security functions at the network edge.
Among the technologies the consortium will develop are artificial intelligence systems to detect a range of cyberattacks on 5G network slices as they happen, then respond quickly and automatically with countermeasures to keep the network secure. Additionally, security requirements will be built into the 5G network slices themselves using end-to-end network slice orchestration that responds dynamically to an application’s security requirements and the severity of threats.
Ultimately, the various solutions will be integrated with the consortium’s partner and collaborator technologies to create a proof-of-concept on the University of Waterloo–Rogers 5G testbed.
Supporting quotes from BlackBerry, Rockport Networks, and NoviFlow
“With both individuals and businesses increasingly relying on 5G connectivity in their personal and professional lives, the attractiveness of 5G networks as a target for malicious threat actors has expanded exponentially,” said Charles Eagan, Chief Technology Officer at BlackBerry. “This IDEaS consortium is an opportunity to join forces to mitigate or eliminate multiple and connected cybersecurity risks. We couldn’t be more excited to bring our multi-sector expertise in end-to-end AI-driven cybersecurity and the Internet of Things to the table and we look forward to working with both the University of Waterloo, NoviFlow, and Rockport to ensure the 5G mobile technology of tomorrow is both secure and protected.”
“Rockport Networks is pleased to be a part of this effort to build secure, high-performance edge computing capabilities that will fuel innovation in AI,” said Phil Harris, CEO, Rockport Networks. “We look forward to collaborating with the University of Waterloo and our consortium partners to push the boundaries of 5G slicing for AI and IoT use cases.”
“NoviFlow is excited and proud to be part of this Consortium of Canadian academic and commercial leaders focused on 5G, cybersecurity, and multi-access edge computing (MEC),” said Dominique Jodoin, President and CEO of NoviFlow. “This DND IDEaS challenge is a great opportunity to extend the usage of NoviFlow’s high-performance programmable network and security fabric beyond the existing use cases already widely deployed by communications service providers (CSPs) and Hyperscalers around the world.”
ABOUT
UNIVERSITY
OF
WATERLOO
University
of
Waterloo
is
a
leading
global
innovation
hub
that
drives
economic
and
social
prosperity
for
Canada
and
the
world.
We
are
home
to
a
renowned
talent
pipeline,
game-changing
research
and
technology,
and
unmatched
entrepreneurial
culture,
that
together
create
solutions
to
tackle
today’s
and
tomorrow’s
challenges.
A strategic integration of research and teaching excellence, the world’s largest co-operative education program, entrepreneurship-intensive programs, and creator-owned IP, has resulted in extensive industry collaboration, the generation of thousands of commercial and social enterprises, and a dynamic learning experience for more than 41,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Find out more at https://uwaterloo.ca.
ABOUT
ÉCOLE
DE
TECHNOLOGIE
SUPÉRIEURE
(ÉTS)
–
Montréal
ÉTS
is
one
of
ten
constituents
of
the
University
of
Québec
network.
It
trains
engineers
and
researchers
who
are
recognized
for
their
practical
and
innovative
approach,
the
development
of
new
technologies
and
their
skills
at
transferring
their
knowledge
to
companies.
Almost
one-quarter
of
all
engineers
in
Québec
graduated
from
ÉTS,
which
boasts
11,000
students,
including
2,650
at
the
graduate
and
post-graduate
level.
ÉTS
specializes
in
applied
training
and
research
in
engineering,
and
maintains
a
unique
partnership
with
the
business
sector
and
with
industry.
For more information, please visit https://www.etsmtl.ca.
ABOUT
UNIVERSITY
OF
REGINA
The
University
of
Regina
—
with
campuses
located
on
Treaty
4
and
Treaty
6
territories,
the
ancestral
lands
of
the
Cree,
Saulteaux,
Dakota,
Lakota
and
Nakoda
nations
and
the
homeland
of
the
Métis
—
is
a
comprehensive,
mid-sized
university
that
traces
its
roots
back
to
the
creation
of
Regina
College
in
1911.
Today,
more
than
16,000
students
study
within
the
University’s
10
faculties,
25
academic
departments/schools,
18
research
centres
and
institutes,
and
three
federated
colleges
(Campion
College,
First
Nations
University
of
Canada,
and
Luther
College).
The
University
of
Regina
has
an
established
reputation
for
excellence
and
innovative
programs
that
lead
to
undergraduate,
master’s,
and
doctoral
degrees.
For more information, please visit https://www.uregina.ca.
ABOUT
IDEaS
Innovation
for
Defence
Excellence
and
Security
(IDEaS)
is
a
defence
innovation
program
which
invests
in
research
and
technology
aimed
at
meeting
the
demands
of
today’s
complex
global
defence
and
security
environment.
The
program
enables
Canada
to
deliver
the
capabilities
needed
for
a
strong
and
agile
military
by
providing
financial
support
to
foster
innovation
through
contracts,
contribution
agreements
and
grants.
The
IDEaS
program
helps
innovators
by
supporting
analysis,
funding
research,
and
developing
processes
that
facilitate
access
to
knowledge.
It
also
supports
testing,
integration,
adoption,
and
acquisition
of
creative
solutions
for
Canada’s
defence
and
security
communities.
To learn more, please visit the IDEaS website.
ABOUT
NOVIFLOW
NoviFlow
Inc.
is
a
world
leader
in
programmable
network
solutions
that
deliver
Terabit
performance
for
SRv6,
5G
MEC,
Packet
Brokering,
Operational
Monitoring,
and
Service
Programming
for
VNFs
and
network
services
deployed
in
production
by
Tier
1
carriers
around
the
world.
Our
solutions
simplify
networks
by
running
load
balancing,
service
chaining,
packet
brokering
and
filtering
directly
in
the
switch,
reducing
service
costs
up
to
90%,
footprint
by
75%
and
energy
costs
by
67%.
For more information, please visit http://noviflow.com. Follow NoviFlow on Twitter @NoviFlowInc.
ABOUT
ROCKPORT
NETWORKS
Rockport
Networks
delivers
the
next
generation
of
scale
fabrics
to
accelerate
AI
and
HPC
innovation.
Rockport
is
reimagining
the
system
infrastructure
model
of
the
data
center
with
networking
solutions
designed
for
scale,
resiliency
and
sustainability
—
all
with
the
right
economics.
Headquartered
in
Ottawa,
Canada,
Rockport
has
offices
and
projects
spanning
international
markets
with
Centers
of
Excellence
in
Europe
and
North
America.
Learn more at rockportnetworks.com and follow Rockport Networks on Twitter and LinkedIn.
CONTACTS
University
of
Waterloo
Raouf
Boutaba,
Professor
and
Director
David
R.
Cheriton
School
of
Computer
Science
cs-director@uwaterloo.ca
(519)
888-4080
ÉTS-Montréal
Rami
Langar,
Professor
Software
and
IT
Engineering
Department
rami.langar@etsmtl.ca
(514)
396-8694
University
of
Regina
Nashid
Shahriar,
Assistant
Professor
Department
of
Computer
Science
Nashid.Shahriar@uregina.ca
(306)
585-4061
NoviFlow
Marc
LeClerc
NoviFlow
Inc.
marketing@noviflow.com
(438)
807-4363
Rockport
Networks
Trisha
Cooke,
CMO
tcooke@rockportnetworks.com
(613)
608-6417