- Orange and Toshiba launched a commercial quantum-safe network in Paris, France
- The operator is using a hybrid quantum security approach to better protect enterprises from current and future threats
- The companies have tested Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) alongside traditional fiber optic signals
Quantum networking is already here, albeit in its early innings. Nevertheless, the technology presents some serious security challenges to enterprises, said Usman Javaid, chief products and marketing officer at Orange Business.
Orange has teamed up with Toshiba to launch the first quantum-safe commercial network in France. The network, which consists of three Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) nodes within 150 kilometers of the Paris area, aims to safeguard against future quantum computing attacks. There's just one problem.
“We are protecting against something that does not exist today,” Javaid told Fierce.
That’s why Orange’s quantum network combines QKD, which allows two parties to securely exchange encryption keys, with Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The latter is the development of mathematical algorithms that are difficult for both classical and quantum computers to break.
Combining the two technologies “makes a lot of sense,” said Javaid, because QKD and PQC on their own aren’t enough to ensure secure communication. QKD is hardware-based, so it lacks flexibility for upgrades or security patches. It’s also limited in how far it can transmit the keys, he noted, as QKD usually spans 100-200 kilometers.
PQC is the software side of the quantum equation, helping enterprises make sure their info isn’t exposed to existing cryptographic technology. Hackers are already collecting data as they wait for a quantum computer to decrypt it. “The quantum clock is ticking and we need to be ready for that,” Javaid said.
Making a market
A financial services company is already using the Orange quantum network, and the operator is currently in talks with customers across various sectors, such as aerospace and defense, healthcare and the utilities space.
“Think about if you’re a pharmaceutical company and you have got a specific formula for vaccines…or you have designs for a nuclear power plant. All this sensitive information will be important in time,” said Javaid.
Orange plans to expand the quantum network across France and potentially other parts of Europe. But when the operator first got into the quantum game, he said it wanted to make sure it didn’t need to redesign its fiber network in the process.
Toshiba and Orange last year conducted field trials that deployed Toshiba’s QKD tech alongside conventional Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) signals over a 184-kilometer fiber link. This “removes the need” for operators to use dedicated fibers for QKD transmission, the companies said.
Global progress
Orange isn’t the only operator Toshiba has worked with on quantum technology. It’s also collaborating with BT and Equinix to provide quantum-secure connectivity between two London data centers. Elsewhere, Verizon has also tinkered with QKD technology.
Still, plenty of hurdles remain in quantum networking. EPB, which runs the first commercial quantum network in the U.S., recently told Fierce the technology isn’t there yet for quantum computers to talk to quantum networks, since they use qubits rather than binary bits.
Unlike AI, quantum has yet to reach its “ChatGPT moment” that shows the technology can really work in practice, EPB CEO David Wade said in April.
This story was updated to clarify Javaid's comments about how PQC and QKD technologies by themselves aren't enough to ensure secure communications.