This paper reports an investigation about the incorporation of Quantum Key Distribution into existing telecommunication infrastructures, analysing the solutions and performance in each network segment to define QKD end-to-end physical paths compatible with the 5G slicing concept. The costs have been analysed for these infrastructures with specific details for the Italy case.
This paper reports an investigation about the incorporation of Quantum Key Distribution into existing telecommunication infrastructures, analysing the solutions and performance in each network segment to define QKD end-to-end physical paths compatible with the 5G slicing concept. The costs have been analysed for these infrastructures with specific details for the Italy case.
This paper reports the network operator point of view about the introduction of quantum key distribution (QKD) in optical networks to secure the data plane and/or specific applications, focusing on the design aspects that go beyond pure transmission. The functional architecture of a quantum key distribution network is depicted focusing on the integration in the existing telecommunications infrastructure. Some use cases of the utilization of the QKD layer, presenting results from in-field demonstrations, are reported together with a technology agnostic numerical model about resource sharing in a metropolitan area network environment.
In-field demonstrations in real-world scenarios boost the development of quantum key distribution (QKD) towards its integration in existing infrastructures. Although QKD devices are already adopted outside the laboratories, current field implementations still suffer from high costs and low performances, preventing this technology from a large-scale deployment in telecommunication networks. Here, we present the developing of a cost-effective setup for QKD field trials, implemented for testing QKD performances in two different scenarios: (i) using an installed fiber link the metropolitan area of Florence (Italy); (ii) using a submarine optical fiber channel between Malta and Sicily.
There is a great attention to quantum technologies in the ICT environment. In particular, when dealing with security matters, the most prominent quantum technology is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). QKD allows the sharing of symmetric keys with information theoretic security (ITS, i.e. independently of the computational power of the attacker) between two remote network nodes. QKD is the only known method to share a key able to reach ITS. During the last two decades, there has been a tremendous technological progress in QKD research, that has led to the availability of QKD network demonstrators.Software Defined Networks (SDN) enables the automation of service provisioning within network operator infrastructures. With the advent of web-scale services and dynamic network requirements, operators can not anymore deploy their services based on manual intervention or using proprietary vendor solutions. Programmability is key in the next-generation network infrastructure and any new technology must be integrated with this paradigm. Let us highlight that this requirement is even more important with virtual environments, where a Virtual Network Function (VNF) can be deployed in any point-of-presence of the operator. The new 5G deployments will enable operators to have edge computing services supporting different capabilities, thus increasing even more the complexity to deliver services without any automation.In spite of the high potential of QKD, this technology has not yet found its path to wide adoption, commercialization and deployment. QKD is a physical technology that requires the existence of a quantum channel, a physical connection able to transmit quantum bits without perturbation, making hard its integration in networks. The aim of this document is to present how QKD can be deployed in next generation infrastructures, based on realistic scenarios. To do so, this paper describes the technological components of the solutions, as well as the use cases that motivate such effort. These use cases are described from a telecommunication provider's point of view, as they are the actors in charge of deploying QKD systems in their networks.
As a promising quantum application, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology has been rapidly developed from point-to-point communication to a large-scale commercial network. However, considering the cost of QKD components and network infrastructure, building a QKD network is challenged by its expensive capital expenditure, which significantly hinders its future popularization. In this article, we envision an evolution roadmap consisting of three stages for the future development of QKD networks, aiming at achieving a fully integrated network architecture that combines QKD and telecommunications networks. Powered by several critical technologies, such as link multiplexing, miniaturized QKD, and transmission optimization, QKD is foreseen to be integrated into telecommunications networks as an add-on module that can be flexibly deployed. After that, we introduce the integrated network architecture design in detail, and respectively provide four QKD-related function implementations. At last, key technologies that should be concerned and further investigated are also discussed with performance evaluation, which can provide theoretical guidance for both industries and academia. Based on the proposed roadmap and integrated architecture, we believe a scalable, easy-to-use, and affordable QKD service can be brought to current telecommunication networks, and extensively applied by ordinary people while using daily applications.
The exponential growth of global telecommunication networks has heightened the need for robust security frameworks to protect data transmission against evolving cyber threats.Traditional encryption techniques, such as RSA and AES, while effective, are increasingly vulnerable to advances in computational power and the impending threat posed by quantum computing.Quantum cryptography, specifically Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), presents a revolutionary approach to securing telecommunication systems by leveraging the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics.Unlike classical encryption methods, QKD guarantees data security through the use of quantum states that are inherently resistant to interception and eavesdropping due to the no-cloning theorem and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.From a broader perspective, this paper explores the integration of quantum cryptographic protocols into existing telecommunication infrastructures, emphasizing their potential to safeguard data transmission in fiber-optic and satellite communication networks.It examines the architecture and operational mechanisms of QKD systems, detailing protocols such as BB84 and E91, and evaluates their effectiveness in countering both classical and quantum-enabled cyber-attacks.Additionally, the study delves into the challenges of large-scale deployment, including key distribution range limitations, hardware requirements, and the need for quantum repeaters to support long-distance secure communication.Narrowing the focus, case studies on the implementation of quantum cryptography in 5G networks and global telecommunication hubs are analysed, highlighting their role in enhancing network resilience and ensuring end-to-end encryption.The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for policy development, international standardization, and future research directions to facilitate the widespread adoption of quantum cryptography in the telecommunications sector.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers unconditional information security by allowing two distant users to establish a common encryption key resilient to hacking. Resultingly, QKD networks interconnecting critical infrastructure and enabling the secure exchange of classified information, can provide a solution to the increasing number of successful cyberattacks. To efficiently deploy quantum networks, the technology must be integrated over existing communication infrastructure, such as optical fibre links. Yet, QKD poses stringent requirements on the conditions of the network over which it is deployed. This work demonstrates the first quantum communication network in Cyprus via the deployment of a multi-node quantum network, exploiting existing commercial underground optical fibre. The network employs bidirectional occupation of fibres and wavelength multiplexing in a ring architecture to achieve, with minimal use of dark fibres, high-rate QKD. Results obtained reveal consistent key generation rates across all nodes, confirming reliable operation in a real-world environment. This deployment highlights the feasibility of leveraging existing telecom infrastructure for quantum-secured communication, marking a significant step toward scalable and cost-effective quantum networks suited for critical applications.