BT and Toshiba say the will partner to construct and trial what they believe will be the first commercial quantum-secured metro network. The new fiber network will connect sites in London’s Docklands, the City, and the M4 Corridor. BT will use the infrastructure to supply data services protected by quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) via Openreach’s Optical Spectrum Access Filter Connect (OSA FC) offering for private fiber networks.
The quantum network will include both core and access components and will be integrated into BT’s existing network management operations. Toshiba will provide quantum key distribution hardware and key management software. The companies plan to focus first on trials for enterprise customers who are carrying sensitive traffic between sites. They also expect to explore potential future offerings such as encrypted links and “quantum keys-as-a-service.”
BT and Toshiba have worked together previously on quantum communications research, including the installation of a point-to-point quantum-secure link between two commercial sites for the Bristol-based NCC (National Composites Centre) and Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS; see also "Quantum key distribution shares fiber with live data").
“BT and Toshiba have established a global lead in the development of quantum-secure networks,” asserted Howard Watson, CTO of BT. “We’re excited to be taking this collaboration to the next level by building the world’s first commercially operational quantum-secured metro network in London. Secure, robust and trusted data transfer is increasingly crucial to our customers across the globe, so we’re proud of the role our Quantum R&D program is playing in making the world’s networks safer as we enter the dawn of a new age of quantum computing.”
“Our partnership with BT will allow us to offer organizations quantum-secured network services which protect their data from retrospective attacks with a quantum computer. We are delighted to work with BT, with its long heritage of delivering secure, trusted networks. This network paves the way for commercial QKD services in the UK and eventually beyond,” added Taro Shimada, corporate senior vice president and chief digital officer at Toshiba Corp.
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