5G • 5G-Advanced (Rel-18)
Ultra-Low-Power Tag Authentication
Micro-Watt Cryptographic Authentication for Passive Cellular Tags
Lightweight symmetric cryptographic algorithms that verify tag authenticity and prevent cloning while consuming less than 100 nanojoules of harvested energy.
Technical Explanation
Anti-counterfeiting in pharmaceuticals and luxury goods requires cryptographic proof of authenticity. Standard RSA or AES-256 ciphers consume too much energy for unpowered tags. Rel-18 specifies lightweight ciphers (such as PRESENT, Simon/Speck, and Grain-128a) executing in under 1,000 logic gates, providing anti-cloning security within harvested energy budgets.
Key Functions
- Executes cryptographic challenge-response authentication using under 100 nanojoules
- Prevents counterfeiting and cloning of tagged pharmaceuticals and luxury goods
- Implements ultra-compact lightweight ciphers requiring fewer than 1,000 silicon gates
- Integrates securely with 5G Core Unified Data Management (UDM) authentication databases
Specifications
3GPP TR 33.878, TR 38.848 (Rel-18)
Interfaces
Uu (Secure Ambient Auth)UDM
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