SKB Applies Quantum Cryptography Technology to World's First National Backbone Network

Preparation for Expanding B2B Business
Establishment of 800km National Convergence Network Supporting Quantum Cryptography

At the recent 'National Convergence Network Quantum Cryptography Seminar' held by the National Information Resources Service of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, an official presented the achievements of applying quantum cryptography technology.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] SK Broadband announced on the 8th that it has succeeded in applying quantum encryption technology to the national backbone communication network for the first time in the world. With this, SK Broadband, which was selected as the primary operator for the construction and operation of the national convergence network connecting the communication networks of a total of 48 government ministries under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's National Information Resources Service in 2020, has laid the foundation for a new leap forward to expand the public market.

This technology application can preemptively block risks such as eavesdropping on the national communication network, and in particular, it enables the prevention and response to damage related to national confidential information and personal data. Quantum encrypted communication boasts a secure level of protection by utilizing the quantum properties of light such as uncertainty, superposition, and no-cloning.

The National Information Resources Service's National Convergence Network Task Force stated, "The construction of the national convergence network with applied quantum encryption technology has established an advanced pan-government network infrastructure capable of responding to the 4th Industrial Revolution," adding, "Based on this, we will provide administrative services with improved service quality and enhanced security, and support the successful completion of the national convergence network."

SK Broadband's application of quantum encryption technology to the national backbone communication network spans a total of 800 km, the longest in Korea, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.

Most of the quantum encryption networks built in the private sector so far have been limited to 30 km to 70 km per section. Transmitting over longer distances was impossible due to the limitations of relay technology, making large-scale quantum encryption network construction unfeasible.

SK Broadband succeeded in applying a nationwide quantum encryption network spanning 800 km by developing technology that connects each section of the national convergence network losslessly with about 30 quantum repeaters.

For this national convergence network construction, next-generation network technologies such as Transmission Software Defined Network (T-SDN) were applied, and from the initial design stage, scalability was considered step-by-step by separating the backbone and access networks as much as possible. SK Group invested all its technological know-how accumulated over more than 10 years. T-SDN is a next-generation technology that virtualizes and intelligently manages physical communication networks using software technology, significantly reducing network costs and solving the complexity of construction and operation.

In particular, seven standards of the ‘Quantum Encrypted Communication (QKD-based) Network Integrated Management Specification’ approved by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) were introduced in this national convergence network construction.

Accordingly, the newly constructed national convergence network can easily configure quantum encryption service sections simply by adding Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) devices in the middle, making it highly scalable, the company explained.

SK Broadband stated that this case of building a national convergence network with quantum encryption technology is being benchmarked not only in Asia but also in Europe, and that it is already conducting necessary cooperation with several countries.

Kim Gu-young, head of SK Broadband's public sector, said, “The successful application of quantum encryption technology to the 800 km national convergence network proves that Korea is at the world’s top level in quantum encryption technology development and commercialization,” adding, “Based on the technological superiority of building next-generation quantum encryption networks, we will continue to provide safe and efficient public solutions.”

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