As we live in the era of hyperconnectivity where everyone and everything is connected, and smartphones become an essential part of our everyday lives, cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most important issues throughout the globe.
Moreover, the emergence of quantum computing, a new kind of system that can execute in minutes calculations that would take hundreds of years to complete on the world’s fastest conventional supercomputers, is expected to have a profound impact on cybersecurity, calling for transformational changes to how we encrypt and protect our data.
The world is currently focusing on quantum cryptography as a means to create a quantum-safe future. Quantum cryptography is a method of encryption that uses the quantum mechanical properties to secure and transmit data in a way that cannot be hacked.
Pioneering the frontier of quantum cryptography
In Korea, SK Telecom began preparing early for a quantum world, setting up Quantum Tech Lab in 2011. It secured a strong growth momentum in this field by investing in ID QuantiqueID Quantique is now a subsidiary of SK Square, which spun-off from SKT last year., a global leading company in quantum cybersecurity, in 2018.
It has been advancing key quantum cryptography communication technologies including Quantum Key Distributor (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), while developing quantum sensing technologies.
SKT has been leading the QKD area since applying QKD to its LTE network for the first time in the world in 2016. It has applied QKD to 330 kilometers (Seoul-Daejeon-Daegu section) of its 5G backbone network.
As quantum technology became one of the ten critical technologies set by the Korean Government, SKT joined the SK Broadband consortium to carry out the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Digital New Deal initiative in 2020. Over the past two years, the consortium built and operated a quantum cryptography pilot infrastructure for 17 different institutions from the public, medical, and industrial fields.
It also successfully developed ‘Global PQC-VPN’ this year to respond to quantum security threats on Virtual Private Network (VPN). Global PQCrypto-VPN is a service that applies encryption key exchange using PQC to a global VPN that configures networks between domestic and overseas headquarters and branch offices.
SKT aims to conduct commercial tests on the Global VPN service using PQC candidate algorithms that are being reviewed as international standards by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Smartphones powered by quantum cryptography technology are already available in Korea as the company, in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, released a series of Galaxy Quantum smartphones embedded with QRNG chipset over the past three years. Users of Galaxy Quantum smartphones are now using diverse services in a more safe and secure manner.
At present, SKT is working with security startups to develop more sophisticated QRNG chips to be applied to areas that require higher levels of security, such as defense and public sectors.
Quantum sensing, which refers to the ability to use quantum mechanics to build extremely precise sensors, is also an area that is being highlighted. SKT began reaping tangible results in this area in 2019, when it introduced single photon LiDAR, which offers higher sensitivity and performance compared to conventional LiDAR sensors.
Accelerating the international standardization
International standardization is essential to accelerate the adoption of quantum cryptography communication across the world. Together with ID Quantique, SKT has been working closely with diverse standardization bodies including ITU-T, ETSI(European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and GSMA to speed up the progress.
At present, SKT’s two technologies for the control and interworking of quantum cryptography communication networks are in the process of being approved as international standards.
‘QKD Network Interworking – Software Defined Networking Control’ enables integrated management of quantum cryptography communication networks using QKD of different equipment companies, while ‘framework of Quantum Key Distribution Network Federation’ supports interworking between QKD networks of different service providers. Also last year, SKT’s technology named ‘QKD: Orchestration Interface for Software Defined Networks’ was approved as the international standard by ETSI.
These technologies are expected to boost the growth of the quantum-safe ecosystem by allowing telecommunication companies to easily adopt quantum cryptography networks and operate them in an efficient and integrated manner.
Moreover, this May, SKT’s ‘Overview of hybrid approaches for key exchange with QKD’ was approved as an international standard by ITU-T. It is a technology that allows QKD to be used not only in the physical layer, such as optical networks, but also in various network layer equipment, thereby laying the foundation for linking QKD and PQC.
Building a quantum-safe future through ceaseless innovation
While taking an active part in the international standardization of quantum cryptography technologies, SKT is working closely with companies of diverse industries to develop more attractive use cases and facilitate the growth of the ecosystem, which are essential for creating a quantum-safe future we envision.
With the global quantum cryptography market expanding rapidly, SKT has designated quantum cryptography technology as one of the three key technologies to pursue in 2022. By leveraging its know-how and expertise accumulated over the past 12 years, it is now set to venture deeper into both QKD and QRNG, while making more industry-leading efforts, which include the application of PQC to global VPN services and early commercialization of quantum sensing solutions, to keep driving innovations in this field.
