Nokia Solutions and Networks has revealed plans to open a Mobile Broadband Security Center in the German capital of Berlin. The firm said it wanted to drive awareness of, and collaboration on, network security among industry, public sector and end users. The new facility will begin operations in the second half of this year.

NSN has made mobile broadband network security something of a strategic differentiator. In a news release Thursday morning the firm said it had executed more than 500 network security projects around the world.

“End user security is becoming more and more critical as mobile communications are increasingly exposed to malware and other threats,” the firm said. “Mobile malware grew 614 per cent from March 2012 to March 2013 and there are more than 500 app stores that contain malicious apps,” it added, citing data from Juniper’s Mobile Threat Center.

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The firm’s decision to base its new facility in Germany reflects that market’s vocal response to security threats relating to communications infrastructure. German incumbent Deutsche Telekom in particular has been active, publicizing its intention to build new service offerings around enhanced security.

“Europe and specifically Germany are leading drivers for the highest standards of telco security and privacy protection,”  said Hermann Rodler, managing director of NSN in Germany. “This in conjunction with our security expertise and significant R&D footprint in Germany makes Berlin a natural choice for us. In the Mobile Broadband Security Center, we will leverage our existing expertise and our partner ecosystem in order to increase end-to-end security in mobile broadband today and drive forward 5G security concepts and standardisation.”