Cellular Telecommunications Double Bill: "ETSI and 3GPP Standards" and "From Academic Research to Standards: Fixing 5G's False Base Station Problem"
Hosted by IET Bristol
About
ETSI and 3GPP standards (Howard Benn)
Technology standards can appear overwhelming to many engineers. ETSI and 3GPP standards are available for free, along with access a plethora of information around the structure of the committees, access to millions of input contributions, and a process that can appear confusing to newcomers.
This talk will provide an introduction to standards, show some real-life examples and explain how to access one the greatest sources of technical information. To keep you awake I will throw in some of stories from my 30 years creating all those Gs that fuelled the technologies in our mobile phones, including an update on the progress of 6G.
From Academic Research to Standards: Fixing 5G's False Base Station Problem (Robert Zakrzewski)
False base stations - IMSI catchers - remain a well-known weakness of mobile networks, allowing attackers to track subscribers and to spoof SMS and Public Warning System (PWS) messages, including the mass blasting of fraudulent alerts. This talk follows the journey of a piece of academic research, from an initial finding of a physical-layer vulnerability in 5G base station signalling, through to a proposed detection and mitigation solution, and finally into the standardisation process where it can genuinely patch the vulnerability for every device on the network.
Drawing on industrial research experience and current academic research at the University of Bristol on secure and agile wireless networks, I will explain why this route from publication to standard matters, what it takes to make a lab result credible to a standards body, and how the same vulnerability - and its fix - has implications reaching beyond civilian networks into military and NATO tactical communications.
2
Continuing Professional Development
This event can contribute towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours as part of the IET's CPD monitoring scheme.
11 Nov 2026
6:30pm - 8:30pm
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Organiser
- Bristol Local Network
Further Information
Sloane Robinson Building, First Floor, 1.701: Active Learning Studio
University of Bristol,
Cattle Market Road,
Bristol,
BS1 6AZ
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/venues/meetings/temple-quarter-enterprise-campus-the-sloane-robinson/
I believe that the entrance is at: ///larger.engine.hooks (https://w3w.co/larger.engine.hooks)
https://use.mazemap.com/#v=1&config=uobexternalmap&campusid=873&zlevel=1¢er=-2.578371,51.449560&zoom=17.6&sharepoitype=poi&sharepoi=1003264690
Speakers
Prof. Howard Benn FIET, FITP
- - Benn Consulting Ltd.
Howard is an independent consultant working in the field of technology standards. He started his career back in 1982, did his degree and PhD at Bradford University, moving into radio based communications in 1989. Standards work started in ETSI on GSM (SMG2) in 1993, then helping create 3GPP and chairing 3GPP RAN 4 from 1998 to 2007. A board member of ETSI 2008 to 2023, currently a member of a number of advisory boards for UK universities and research programs. He retired from his role as ‘Vice President Communications Research’ for Samsung Electronics R&D Institute in 2024, but maintains his visiting Professor at Bristol University and Honorary Professor at QUB roles. He also sits on the UKTIN government advisory committee looking at the future of communications technology in the UK, and co-chairs the standards group.
Dr Robert Zakrzewski
Senior Research Associate - University of Bristol
Robert is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol, working on the Secure Wireless & Agile Networks (SWAN) project, where he investigates techniques for detecting and mitigating threats targeting the wireless interface. He holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Bristol and is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET).
Before moving into academia, Robert spent over 15 years in industry as a Principal Systems Engineer at General Dynamics (following the IPWireless acquisition) and at Roke Manor Research/Ericsson working on 3GPP LTE/LTE-A technology, and delivering research, studies and designs for commercial and military customers, including collaborations with Sony, Siemens, Nokia and the UK MOD. This work resulted also in many granted patents.
His current research applies this industrial research background to the security of IoT and 5G/6G wireless systems, including physical-layer authentication, RF-based key derivation, and anomaly detection, with several recent papers published at IEEE PIMRC, CCWC and MILCOM.
Reasons to attend
Come and learn about cutting-edge technologies, have some free refreshments, and network with local engineers if you wish.
Programme
Arrival, Networking and Refreshments: 18.30 (in main atrium at bottom of yellow stairs)
Presentation: 19:00 – 20:00 (upstairs in 1.701)
Networking: 20:00 - 20:30 (back in atrium)