ANTONY SAVVAS QUANTUM SAFE NETWORKS
COMMERCIAL Both BT and Orange have already trialled the Toshiba technology. “We’ve finally reached a point where quantum secure networks are near commercialisation. With Toshiba we built the first commercial trial of a quantum secure metro network in London,” says Andrew Lord, senior manager for optical networks and quantum research at BT. Global consulting firm EY was the first customer to join the BT network, with HSBC also joining late last year. The network trial will focus on the feasibility of dedicated and low latency connectivity transmission - through a combination of QKD and high bandwidth encryption - between strategic locations, such as offices, data centres and the edge of the public cloud. “We are working globally with partners, service providers and enterprises, where we have deployed, and actively demonstrated, our quantum-safe solutions,” says Martin Charbonneau, head of quantum-safe networks at Nokia. Nokia has recently signed memorandums of understanding with SingTel and SK Telecom, and has been involved in quantum activities with HellasQCI, IP Telecom, and Proximus in Europe. It is also involved in the governmental QuNET initiative in Germany. FURTHER TESTING If the commercial roadmap is to continue to drive forwards, further testing is required. Toshiba Europe and Single Quantum recently collaborated to test and validate long-distance deployments of QKD. Following validation testing of Toshiba’s QKD and Single Quantum’s superconducting nanowire single
Image: Toshiba
photon detectors (SNSPDs), the partners announced a solution that doubles the common 150km transmission range, for QKD deployment over fibre connections, to “up to and beyond 300km”. Achieving longer distance QKD fibre transmission is challenging due to the attenuation of the quantum signals along a single fibre length. But Single Quantum says its SNSPDs can detect photons “very accurately and efficiently” over a single fibre. Matthew Adams, product manager at testing firm VIAVI, says, “We see most quantum systems today running on dedicated fibre spans, as optical loss and noise are key system challenges. There is a lot of work being done globally to
prove these systems can consistently be deployed alongside active networks.” He adds, “By using spectrum shaping filters, ultra-stable noise sources, and amplifiers alongside spools of fibre, lab users and designers can emulate real-world network environments at the photonic level. They can use these systems to validate their QKD signals and demonstrate they can co-exist alongside a variety of network environments.” The quantum threats are clear both now and in the future, but the optical networking industry seems to be doing its bit to help tackle them.
Editor’s note: Part of this article was removed at the request of Nokia.
Carl Peters European VP, Solutions Engineering, Zayo Group
Nils Gerhardt CTO & Head of Product, Utimaco
Paulina Gomez Senior Advisor, Portfolio Marketing, Ciena
Andrew Shields Head of the Quantum Technology Division, Toshiba Europe
David Williams CEO, Arqit
Andrew Lord Senior manager, Optical Networks & Quantum Research, BT
Martin Charbonneau Head of Quantum-safe Networks, Nokia
Matthew Adams Product Manager, VIAVI
www.opticalconnectionsnews.com
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ISSUE 37 | Q2 2024
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