Partner POV | Zscaler Cellular is redefining the Future of Secure Mobile Connectivity

This article was provided for publication by our partner Zscaler. Written by Nathan Howe - Zscaler Global VP of Innovation at Zscaler

Traditional solutions like VPNs and firewalls cannot scale to meet the demands of billions of connected devices, resulting in visibility gaps, operational strain, and increased security risks. To address these challenges, Zscaler has introduced a transformative solution by leveraging Zero Trust principles for cellular networks: Zscaler Cellular. It enables organizations to secure mobile and IoT traffic seamlessly while simplifying management and optimizing performance. With Zscaler Cellular, enterprises gain security, scalability, and control for the connected world of things.

Zscaler Cellular brings secure Zero Trust-based connectivity into a cellular format; it is designed to enable the secure connectivity of IoT and OT devices or things that move outside the boundaries of a traditional network infrastructure. Typically, the traffic of such mobile things outside the traditional enterprise perimeter would fall outside the control of IT security teams. By providing organizations with an innovative way to send such traffic of these mobile devices or things through the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange security platform, Zscaler Cellular helps the devices to achieve secure bi-directional connectivity from enterprises or their customers, and therefore close any potential security gaps.

Zscaler Cellular consists of two key components: Zscaler SIM, a data-only SIM card that securely routes cellular traffic; and the Zscaler Cellular Edge, which acts as the intelligence layer between telecom infrastructure and Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange platform. Combined, these components provide agentless security, centralized visibility, and simplified connectivity. Traditional cellular security often relies on routable IP addresses and backhauling data through firewalls, a process riddled with inefficiencies, latency, and vulnerabilities. Zscaler Cellular eliminates these outdated approaches by routing traffic directly to the cloud security platform removing backhauling and tromboning while ensuring all cellular streams are protected under unified Zero Trust policies.

How Zscaler Cellular Works

Devices equipped with Zscaler SIM cards connect to public 4G/5G networks, forwarding their traffic to a nearby Zscaler Cellular Edge for inspection and policy enforcement. The edge securely routes all traffic streams to the security platform where Zero Trust policies are applied. Administrators use centralized dashboards to monitor activity, enforce granular control, and mitigate risks.

Zscaler Cellular Edge can be deployed via three different routes: As a service delivered by the existing telco service provider, through a direct service from Zscaler or by moving the cellular edge into private cellular environments. Customers that are looking into replacing their Wi-Fi ecosystem with a high speed, low latency solution based on 5G can use this path to gain secure gateway functionality to enable those devices and services to be protected.

Zscaler Cellular addresses diverse use cases: securing point-of-sale systems in retail, telemetry in logistics operations, connected vehicles, industrial IoT endpoints, and even critical infrastructure like power grids or railway systems. By bridging security gaps between cellular networks and enterprise IT, it ensures bi-directional protection and seamless connectivity for IoT and mobile devices.

The future of secure mobile connectivity

So far, unified security across cellular networks remained a critical challenge. Zscaler Cellular closes this security gap by extending Zero Trust functionality to cellular-connected devices with minimal complexity or cost. The solution makes routable IP addresses obsolete, invisible to attackers, and simplifies cellular security on a global scale.

The new service allows organisations to secure IoT devices, protect mobile things, and optimize cellular traffic without compromising performance or scalability. Whether deployed alongside existing telecom infrastructure or as an end-to-end service from Zscaler, it redefines cellular security for the modern era.