At a time when information and communications infrastructure is continually evolving, ensuring long-term security is more challenging than ever. The upcoming paradigm shift of quantum computing has put a clock on the effectiveness of cybersecurity as we know it, with advances in computational power rendering even the strongest encryption vulnerable to future attack.
In fact, quantum computers pose a very real threat to data security today. The long-term value of much of today’s data means it is vulnerable to a ‘download now, decrypt later’ attack. With the 5G roll-out connecting many critical applications, such as IoT, automotive, smart cities, pay and health services, the potential attack surface has increased exponentially.
Over the past twenty years, the role of communications infrastructure has changed significantly. Ubiquitous connectivity and pressures from internet and technology service providers has seen an erosion of traditional telecoms value pools.
The telecoms industry faces a choice, remain tied to past models of monetization or embrace bold choices and seize the opportunities an increasingly connected world has to offer. The pandemic demonstrated just how essential a secure and resilient communications infrastructure is. As the industry looks to the future, secure communications will remain a foundation of the digital world and Quantum cybersecurity will ensure a strong, durable, and profitable position for telecoms.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a technology designed to distribute the keys generated by QRNG securely to different locations. The technology offers proven secrecy of encryption keys and let organizations reach long-term confidentiality an integrity while maximizing trust.
QKD exploits a fundamental principle of quantum physics – observation causes perturbation – to exchange cryptographic keys over fiber optic networks with provable security: an eavesdropper intercepting keys transmitted on the QKD quantum channel will necessarily translate into a perturbation that can be detected by the sender and recipient.
Using QKD now will provide immediate protection to data in the face of today’s brute force attacks, ensure that data with a long shelf life is protected against future attacks and safeguard high-value data in a post-quantum computing world.
Migrating to a quantum-secure stance will take time. Implementing post-quantum cryptography won’t happen overnight, and you will likely need to upgrade some of your existing equipment. That’s where quantum cybersecurity solutions such as QKD can help. Available now, future-proof to computing power evolution and time, you can simply add them as an overlay to your existing infrastructure.
Telecom security services will expand as new computing and networking technologies like 5G, cloud, edge, IoT, and mobile private networks are deployed more widely.
This will generate demand for a range of security-related services for both government and enterprise customers. With the introduction of quantum technologies, and the validation of their security benefits throughout the world, being an innovator or early adopter is more important than ever.
The race for quantum resilience has already started within the service provider industry; don’t get left behind.
Strong competitive differentiator, with 100% trusted and forward security
New enterprise customer acquisition, using critical business applications
Increase cybersecurity revenues through additional customer end points
5G enhanced infrastructure security, based on quantum technologies
Higher ARPU: mobile subscription with Embedded Quantum Security
Mitigate legal and financial risks associated with security breaches
Originally, QKD was used in a simple point-to-point configuration, which limited use cases and market adoption. Today, we are not limited anymore. ID Quantique’s technology enables multiple QKD links to be combined into a single network with software defined networking (SDN).
A management layer can be deployed on top of these links to provide additional functionality. Users located at any node of the network can ask it to build end-to-end secure keys. This can be the basis of new QKD-as-a-Service and Security-as-a-Service offerings, where a user (without owning the system) can request keys from different locations in the network.
IDQ’s QKD solutions are turnkey, user-friendly, interoperable, compatible with existing infrastructure and encryption. Take a look at the XG Series, IDQ’s 4th generation of QKD systems, and at our Clarion Key Exchange Service Ecosystem, IDQ’s Quantum Key Management Solution – a suite of software and hardware solutions that enables rapid deployment of quantum-safe networks using existing fiber optic telecommunication infrastructure.
IDQ’s Quantum Management System (QMS) gives you an unprecedented capability to always keep a comprehensive understanding of your QKD network operation, even in the most complex cases.
The tool offers an intuitive logical or geographical topology network view to facilitate configuration changes, as well as a monitoring dashboard to help you ensure the network remains healthy.
The QMS enable user autonomy with minimal training, helping you reduce the time and effort managing complex networks.
You can either use our software suite, or use the web API to integrate our QMS functionalities into your own network operations center.
We have developed an extensive Network and Key Management software suite. The framework integrates current Software-Defined Network (SDN) QKD ETSI standards as well as IDQ’s Quantum Management System (QNET QMS) to facilitate all large QKD deployments. It ensures a seamless integration in existing infrastructure.
We have deployed QKD networks and testbeds on all continents to secure data for banks and financial institutions, governments, communications networks, critical infrastructure, and medical organizations.
Here are some of our interesting recent telecom deployments:
OPENQKD is a collaborative European project that will install and run testbeds in several European locations to test and showcase QKD systems under different use case scenarios.
ID Quantique’s scope
Telecom collaborations
Deutsche Telekom: Enhancing 5G authentication and security
British Telecom: Validation of QKD using hollow core fibers and pen testing
Telefonica: Quantum-Safe IPVPN connection, suitable for offering a fully managed datacenter interconnection service
TIM: 5G telecom use case with high degree of channel multiplexing
Orange: Securing an academic network in the metropolitan area of Paris
QKD integration in high-end service network of telecom operatorID Quantique and SK Broadband deployed QKD to protect sensitive information and communication between 48 government agencies in Korea and increase the efficiency of operations.
ID Quantique’s scope
Quantique’s capabilities
A full QKD framework to support the complex network infrastructure:
IDQ can help you achieve Quantum resilience today and help you through every step of the way to make your project a success.
Achieve Quantum resilience from bottom up and provide new cyber security services to your Government and Enterprise customers
Whether you already have a project in mind or do not know where to begin, we are here to assist you and help you moving forward to a safer future.
Contact us today.
