BT to stage ‘world-first’ test of 5G quantum security
Key points…
+ Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a supposedly ‘unhackable’ technique for sharing encryption keys between locations using a single stream of photons.
This ‘AIRQKD’ trial combines BT’s expertise in QKD with other quantum-enhanced security chips in mobile devices to create an ultra-secure link between 5G cell sites and mobile devices and connected cars. Other partners in the trial include Nu-Quantum, Angoka, and Duality.
+ Testing will take place over the next 36 months with £7.7 million in funding provided by the Quantum Technologies Challenge, led by UK Research and Innovation and it is hoped the project will strengthen the UK’s ambitions of being a leader in the field.
+ The UK government has expressed a desire to be at the forefront of the field, believing it can play a vital role in the connected economy and accelerate Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) deployments. A National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) is expected to open in 2022 as part of the £1 billion National Quantum Technologies Programme.
+ BT itself has constructed a commercial-grade test network link that spans 125km between its Adastral Park R&D facility in Suffolk and the University of Cambridge and links to the wider UK Quantum Network (UKQN) – a collaboration between industry and academia.
Source: Tech Radar. Steve McCaskill, BT to stage ‘world-first’ test of 5G quantum security…
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