Bonn, 02.02.2024 – Protection against attacks on critical infrastructures is a core task for the state and the economy. The German Broadband Association (BREKO) has developed a concept for a decentralized infrastructure atlas (dISA) in order to meet the increased need for security on the one hand and the need for efficient data usage for the expansion of fiber optics and mobile communications on the other. The dISA is intended to make data exchange not only more secure, but also more efficient and up-to-date.

As part of the Telecommunications Network Expansion Acceleration Act, which is to be passed by the Federal Cabinet on February 7, it is also planned to enshrine the Gigabit Basic Directory in law as a data portal for the expansion of digital infrastructures. The Infrastructure Atlas (ISA), a central information and planning tool for the expansion of fiber optics and mobile communications operated by the Federal Network Agency, is part of the Gigabit Base Book. However, due to the central storage of sensitive information on critical infrastructures and inadequate protection against misuse, the ISA in its current form poses a considerable security risk.

BREKO Managing Director Dr Stephan Albers explains the aim of the concept: “The decentralized infrastructure atlas is our concrete proposal to optimize data security and at the same time increase the efficiency of the system through automation and complete digitalization.”

With the proposed decentralized instead of centralized data storage, sovereignty over specific infrastructure data remains with the infrastructure owners. This minimizes risks to the security of the critical infrastructure. This is because an attack on the central dISA portal would only cause marginal damage, as no relevant infrastructure data is stored there. The concept also provides for the consistent use of modern encryption technologies and authentication mechanisms. Providing data and increasing security – these are the core objectives of the dISA!

The concept is also intended to increase transparency regarding data access and use. As companies that report their data to the Federal Network Agency’s infrastructure atlas are not yet aware of who requests access to their data, when and how often, this would be a major step towards greater transparency, which in turn would strengthen the trust of all stakeholders in the infrastructure atlas as a whole.

Last but not least, decentralized data storage would increase the timeliness of the data and the efficiency of data exchange for fibre optic and mobile expansion. This is because the direct, automated retrieval of information from the infrastructure owners can ensure that the data is far more up-to-date than the previous centralized data storage.

The implementation of a decentralized infrastructure atlas, which pursues the goals of “minimizing information to what is necessary” (need-to-know principle) and “maximizing efficiency through digitization”, would not only meet the essential requirements of the companies and organizations involved in the expansion of fiber optics and mobile communications, but also the necessary protection of critical infrastructures in accordance with current regulations such as the KRITIS umbrella, NIS2 implementation and cyber security strengthening law.

The BREKO concept can be downloaded here.