Telecom 3 Companies Present Quantum Technology Vision at 'Quantum Korea 2023'

The three major mobile carriers will participate in 'Quantum Korea 2023,' held from the 26th to the 29th at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, showcasing various quantum technologies.

SK Telecom will introduce its quantum technologies and commercialization achievements developed over 13 years under the theme 'Quantum to Everywhere.' It will operate the largest exhibition hall among participating companies.

Bird's-eye view of the SKT exhibition hall
Photo by SKT

SKT will present its quantum-related standardization, commercialization, and technological achievements accumulated over more than 10 years through a 160-inch LED display. Additionally, it has set up an experience zone where visitors can see and interact with quantum technologies such as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), and quantum sensing. Visitors can observe the technological evolution of QKD devices becoming smaller, lighter, and more efficient in the QKD exhibition area. In the QRNG exhibition area, visitors can see quantum technologies applied in everyday life. They can explore the Galaxy Quantum Phone, which enhances security by applying quantum technology to smartphones that handle vast amounts of information, and cryptographic chips embedded with quantum technology expected to be installed in various Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the future.

An exhibition allowing direct experience of quantum technology is also prepared. Even in a dark room where light is blocked, people can be recognized using LiDAR technology applied with quantum sensing, and the image is printed and given to visitors as a photo. This fun experience helps convey the otherwise difficult-to-understand quantum technology to visitors.

Ham Min-yong, SKT CDO, stated, “As a national representative quantum company that has consistently developed quantum-related technologies and created business achievements for over 10 years, SKT will lead Korea’s quantum leap by cooperating with the government and the domestic ecosystem.”

A bird's-eye view of the exhibition hall operated by KT at Quantum Korea 2023
[Photo by KT]

KT operates its exhibition hall under the theme 'KT, the Leader of Korea’s Quantum Industry Ecosystem.' At the entrance, KT displays quantum cryptography communication solutions secured by transferring core technologies such as quantum key generation and distribution to domestic SMEs. A wireless QKD system is exhibited at the center of the hall. KT successfully transmitted wireless quantum cryptography over a 1km distance using its independently developed wireless QKD in May last year and established a wireless quantum cryptography communication network at Jeju International University in December last year. Wireless quantum cryptography communication is regarded as a next-generation innovative technology that can provide quantum cryptography communication to satellites and mobile platforms.

Additionally, KT introduces services such as 'Quantum-Drone' for disaster response cooperation between local governments and military units, 'Quantum-Autonomous Vehicle' to counter hacking threats to autonomous vehicles, and 'Quantum-VPN' to prevent industrial secrets leakage. Furthermore, KT will present 'KT’s Vision Toward Quantum Internet' at the industry session of the Quantum Information Conference held on the 26th.

Kim Yi-han, KT Convergence Technology Institute Director (Executive Vice President), said, “KT possesses both wired and wireless quantum cryptography communication technologies and has led the quantum industry ecosystem by sharing its core technologies developed in-house with SMEs. We hope visitors experience KT’s customer-friendly quantum cryptography communication technologies and services, as a leader driving the ecosystem, at this exhibition.”

A bird's-eye view of LG Uplus's booth.
[Photo by LG Uplus]

LG Uplus, as a leading domestic company in quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC), will demonstrate its accumulated technologies and commercialized services and present its future vision. The exhibition booth is designed around the concept of how PQC will be applied in future daily life. A researcher arrives at the lab using 'PQC facial recognition,' turns on a laptop, accesses the company system through 'PQC fingerprint authentication,' and stores design plans to be delivered to the factory in a data center via 'PQC transmission equipment.' Visitors can also see scenes such as watching a baseball game easily and securely with 'PQC ticket booking,' making simple payments at an unmanned mart on the way home using 'PQC uSIM,' which is transmitted to the unmanned mart’s 'PQC CCTV,' and connecting to 'PQC Wi-Fi' at home to shop online.

The PQC transmission equipment provides the highest level of security by encrypting and decrypting data with quantum-resistant cryptographic keys when customers send and receive data through dedicated lines, making hacking impossible. eSIM and USIM, which apply both physical unclonable function (PUF) technology and PQC, are closely related to everyday life in smartphones and connected cars, helping individual customers easily understand quantum-resistant cryptography.

Choi Taek-jin, LG Uplus Enterprise Division Head (Vice President), said, “LG Uplus has been recognized for the technological capabilities of PQC dedicated lines through customers in various fields such as public, defense, finance, medical, and platforms, and our roadmap for market leadership is becoming increasingly sophisticated. We hope to not only introduce our technological capabilities to potential customers at this event but also form partnerships for joint research and exchanges related to quantum-resistant cryptography.”

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