EY will be the quantum secured network’s first commercial customer and will use it to connect two of its sites in London
Yesterday, BT and Toshiba announced the launch trial of what they claimed to be the world’s first commercial quantum secured metro network. Connecting customers across London, the infrastructure will transmit data between multiple physical locations over standard fiber optic links using quantum key distribution (QKD). BT will operate the network, while Toshiba will provide quantum key distribution hardware and key management software.
QKD is a secure communication method that uses a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics. In the trial network, QKD keys will be combined with the in-built ethernet security, based on public-key based encryption, which will enable the resultant keys to be used to encrypt the data. The UK government has expressed particular interest in such technologies, announcing in 2020 its plans to become a quantum-enabled economy, which involves quantum technologies becoming an “integral part of the UK’s digital backbone” over the next 10 years.
“I am very pleased to see the first trial by BT and Toshiba of a commercial quantum secured metro network, which represents significant progress towards achieving our ambition to make the UK a quantum-enabled economy,” said George Freeman, the minister for Science, Research and Innovation for the U.K. government. “This is the kind of innovation that helps cement the UK as a global innovation economy in the vanguard of discovering, developing and commercially adopting transformational technology with real societal benefits.”
EY will be the network’s first commercial customer and will use it to connect two of its sites in London—one in Canary Wharf, and one near London Bridge. In doing so, it hopes to demonstrate how data secured using QKD can move between sites.
“Quantum technology creates new and significant opportunities for business but presents potential risks. Quantum secure data transmission represents the next major leap forward in protecting data, an essential component of doing business in a digital economy. Our work with two of the world’s leading technology innovators will allow us to demonstrate the power of quantum to both EY and our clients,” commented Praveen Shankar, EY UK & Ireland managing partner for Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT).
Technical deployment and testing for the network began in late 2021, and has been unofficially running since early April. It will operate for an initial period of up to three years.
