"From Hydrogen Car Parts Design Data to Security Footage: SKT Applies Quantum Encryption"

SKT-led ‘SKB Consortium’ Secures Largest Quantum Encryption National Project with 7 Institutions and 9 Sections
Achievement of Major Contract Success

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] The application fields of SK Telecom's quantum cryptography communication technology are being significantly expanded, ranging from hydrogen car parts design data to various private sector data, including personal information held by public institutions.

The 'SKB Consortium,' consisting of SK Telecom, SK Broadband, IDQ, and UR Information Technology, announced on the 25th that it has secured a large number of national projects for the 'Quantum Cryptography Communication Pilot Infrastructure Construction and Operation.'

This project, commissioned by the Korea Intelligent Information Society Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Science and ICT as part of the 'Digital New Deal,' involves the SKB Consortium applying and building quantum cryptography communication across nine sections in seven institutions.

The SKB Consortium explained that it is leading quantum cryptography tech leadership in various ways, such as being selected as the operator for building and operating heterogeneous quantum cryptography communication networks and as the executor of the compatibility standardization project between quantum cryptography communication and various security technologies (ITU-T SG17).

◆ Quantum Cryptography Communication Supplied to 7 Institutions Across 9 Sections... Expansion of Application Scope

The 'Quantum Cryptography Communication Pilot Infrastructure' project secured by the SKB Consortium involves building quantum cryptography communication networks in seven institutions and nine sections, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Pyeonghwa Holdings, Korea University K-Bio Center, and ADT Caps. The consortium stated, "We have secured the maximum number of quantum cryptography communication pilot infrastructure projects, which recognizes our differentiated technological capabilities accumulated as a leader in the quantum cryptography field."

This year, the plan is to apply quantum cryptography communication technology to secure the stability of emergency communication networks in key core industrial facilities such as nuclear power plants and to strengthen the protection of core data and personal information held by public institutions.

In particular, in the private sector, it will be applied to Pyeonghwa Holdings, which develops hydrogen car parts design technology, to protect core hydrogen car technologies. In the medical field, it will be applied to Korea University K-Bio Center to verify the performance of quantum cryptography operation in Korea's first cloud-based medical system. Additionally, at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, it will be used to protect personal information data acquired by autonomous robots.

It will also be applied to protect security video data held at the ADT Caps integrated control center, providing ironclad defense of customer information.

◆ First Application of 'Heterogeneous Quantum Cryptography Control Device' in National Future Network Testbed

SK Telecom will also build and operate a heterogeneous quantum cryptography communication network for the 'Hyperconnected Intelligent Research and Development Network (KOREN)' commissioned by NIA.

The KOREN network is an integrated research test network to verify national future network technologies and application services. SK Telecom will install a Q-SDN (Quantum Cryptography Communication Network Software Defined Networking) controller to enable integrated control of different quantum cryptography communication networks built on the KOREN network and promote efficient integrated control.

Notably, this attempt to control and operate heterogeneous quantum cryptography communication for the first time in a national testbed is expected to be an important milestone for the spread of B2B quantum cryptography.

Through the Q-SDN controller, SK Telecom will monitor the status of quantum cryptography communication networks, and the collected data will be opened to specialized institutions to promote the activation of the quantum cryptography ecosystem. In this regard, it plans to apply the international standard related to the Q-SDN controller proposed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which is expected to help secure the international competitiveness of domestic quantum cryptography communication.

◆ Adoption of ITU-T Quantum Cryptography Communication Compatibility Standardization Project

Achievements are also continuing in the 'ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector),' which can be called the international stage for quantum cryptography communication network standardization.

SK Telecom proposed and had adopted a standardization project for a technical report dealing with compatibility between quantum cryptography communication and various security technologies at SG (Study Group) 17, a security research body under ITU-T, which was held until the end of April.

Additionally, SK Telecom led the establishment of Question 15 under SG17, a future security research working group, and was appointed as the rapporteur of the working group, demonstrating strong determination to lead the future cryptography field.

Ham Min-yong, head of SK Telecom's Innovation Suite, said, "We consider it meaningful that quantum cryptography communication can contribute widely across industries and the private sector beyond national key facilities where security is paramount," adding, "We will continue to expand the base of quantum cryptography and advance related technologies so that customers can live their daily lives securely in the ICT environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.