Etisalat today announced its commitment to adapt and implement a common approach to IoT security guidelines that will outline best practices and recommendations for the entire IoT ecosystem.

These IoT security guidelines were set by the global organization 'Global System for Mobile Communications' (GSMA) targeting IoT service providers, device manufacturers, developers and mobile operators to provide best practices for a secure end-to-end design, development and deployment of IoT solutions across industries and services. They address typical cybersecurity and data privacy issues associated with IoT services and outline a step-by-step process to securely launch solutions to market.

"Today it has become imperative to focus on the need to have a common IoT assessment and security guidelines that are adapted by global operators, IoT device manufacturers and developers. With the global opportunity for IoT to grow and enable disruptive innovations, these guidelines will help it to flourish and being adapted across industries and services. Etisalat welcomes GSMA's global lead on setting these best practices and is proud to be one of the pioneering operators in implementing these guidelines," said Francisco Salcedo, SVP, Etisalat Digital.

"For IoT to flourish, the industry needs an aligned and consistent approach to IoT security. Our guidelines encourage the industry to adopt a robust set of best practices that will help create a more secure IoT market with trusted, reliable services that can scale as the market grows," commented Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. "The mobile industry has a long history of providing secure services in licensed spectrum and by implementing these guidelines, we can help ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the market."

Globally AT&T, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Orange, Telenor, Telefónica, Telia and Turkcell are the operators in agreement to adopt these practices that will set out a comprehensive security assessment scheme to help ensure IoT services are protected against IoT security risks. There will be a reach of 3.1 billion IoT connections by 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence.

*GSMA: The GSM Association (commonly referred to as 'the GSMA' or Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spécial Mobile) is an originally-European trade body that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors.