ANTONY SAVVAS QUANTUM SAFE NETWORKS
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Quantum computing in the telecoms market is an emerging area. Antony Savvas looks at the latest developments in connectivity and security, and the commercial roadmap.
A ccording to Market Research Future, the US$570 million in 2022. It was then projected to reach US$820 million in 2023, on the way to jumping to US$8.3 billion by 2032, showing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 30% from 2023. Increasing cyber threats, government initiatives, and quantum technology advances are the key market drivers enhancing market growth, says Market Research Future. A CHALLENGE “Quantum computing is a driving force for transformational progress on a global scale, with the potential to revolutionise Quantum communication market was valued at a vast range of industries,” says Carl Peters, European VP of solutions engineering at Zayo Group. However, as quantum computing becomes more scalable, stable and accessible, it will challenge the basis of global information security as it is likely to make today’s encryption standards obsolete. In the coming decades this will put sensitive data under unprecedented threat, potentially impacting critical sectors. “This is both a security threat for the future and now, as any encrypted communication captured today can be decrypted by quantum computers in the future,” says Peters. QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION Quantum-secure solutions like post- quantum cryptography, Pre-Shared Keys (i.e. symmetric key agreement (SKA)) and quantum key distribution (QKD) are and will be able to withstand decryption threats from quantum computers. QKD uses the quantum properties of light to generate quantum secure keys that are designed to be immune to decryption by both high performance conventional and quantum computers. QKD transmits
light particles/photons over fibre cables between parties. Each photon has a random quantum state, and together, the photons make up a stream of ones and zeros. The streams are called qubits, the equivalent of bits in a binary system. “But without a robust network infrastructure, the deployment and viability of these QKD technologies would be severely limited,” Peters says. “Reliable and secure fibre optic connectivity is the crucial foundation for the effective implementation and operation of quantum-based communication systems. This alliance between fibre infrastructure and quantum lays the groundwork for widespread commercial adoption and enhanced cyber security protections across industries.” Nils Gerhardt, chief technology officer and head of product at Utimaco, says, “In preparing for a post-quantum future, we look at what data is likely to still be around in five, ten or even twenty years from now, and what physical infrastructure will still be in service.” A switchboard or base station may be in the field for decades, and a single component that isn’t updated to be quantum-resistant could give bad actors a way into an entire telecoms network. Gerhardt urges telcos to look at quantum-safe software and firmware updates. “For organisations that deal with data that retains its value over time, the rapid advances in the computational power of quantum computers make the “harvest now, decrypt later” approach to stealing sensitive data particularly worrisome,” confirms Paulina Gomez, senior advisor of portfolio marketing at Ciena. “Attackers can steal encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it in the future when a method to quickly decrypt it becomes available. Combining an external QKD system with today’s generally available encryption offerings, provides unconditional security of critical
data over metro distances, including over DCI (data centre interconnectivity) applications, says Gomez. NETWORK COMPLICATIONS While telcos are expected to move quick to mitigate threats, it can be tricky to do so. “Deploying QKD into existing networks can present challenges for integration, range, and capacity, and when you combine this with the cost and logistical challenges of converting existing fibre networks to allow QKD deployment, moving towards widespread adoption can be difficult,” says Andrew Shields, head of the quantum technology division at Toshiba Europe. And David Williams, CEO of Arqit, says there are particular problems in mobile networks. “The architecture of 5G networks expands the attack surface, introducing vulnerabilities that amplify the looming quantum threat. To address this, a shift in the way we think about security is needed.” He says the quantum threat poses risks “akin to Y2K”, but with no clear target date. Despite ongoing efforts to develop post-quantum algorithms (PQAs), symmetric encryption has emerged as a “viable solution”, endorsed by governments and industry bodies. For example, the UK National Cyber Security Centre has recommended symmetric encryption as a “near-term, ready-now solution”, Williams says. In addition, the US National Security Agency mandated that organisations handling national security systems use symmetric key agreement (SKA). This ensures data security across 5G networks, says Williams, providing a “cost-effective and future-proof approach”. However, Toshiba has developed a “high-performance” QKD multiplexing system that allows both QKD and multiple conventional data channels to operate simultaneously on existing deployed fibre networks, to help tackle adoption problems.
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| ISSUE 37 | Q2 2024
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