LG Uplus Significantly Expands Service Areas Applying Quantum Security Chips

Sungyul Park, Head of LG Uplus Enterprise Infrastructure Business Group (right), and Jungwon Lee, CEO of ICTK Holdings (left), pose for a commemorative photo at the business agreement ceremony. Photo by LG Uplus

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] LG Uplus announced on the 9th that it will significantly expand the application of quantum security chip services developed in collaboration with IoT security specialist ICTK Holdings.

To this end, the two companies signed a business agreement to utilize ICTK Holdings' security chip, which applies Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) technologies in tandem, in various IoT services such as LG Uplus' intelligent CCTV and wireless routers. Additionally, PQC PUF technology will be applied to platforms and solutions requiring security, including personal authentication, cloud services, access control gates, and unmanned payment systems.

The business agreement ceremony held at LG Uplus' Yongsan headquarters was attended by key executives including Park Sung-yul, Head of LG Uplus Enterprise Infrastructure Business Group (Executive Vice President), and Lee Jung-won, CEO of ICTK Holdings.

With the expansion of PQC PUF security chip service applications, various types of security chips tailored to related IoT devices will be produced. Based on this experience, the two companies anticipate being able to manufacture security chips for multiple service sectors beyond IoT in the future. They also expect to enter the global security business market based on international standard post-quantum cryptography technology.

Currently, post-quantum cryptography technology, which prevents information replication or theft by quantum computers, has mainly been developed for enterprise equipment such as virtual private networks (VPN) and reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADM). However, in the hyper-connected era where numerous devices are linked, the security of IoT devices is becoming increasingly important. LG Uplus explained that it signed the business agreement with ICTK Holdings, which possesses proprietary security chip manufacturing technology, in response to this trend.

LG Uplus and ICTK Holdings previously developed a type of security chip called PQC PUF eSIM and jointly developed PQC PUF VPN.

Park Sung-yul, Head of LG Uplus Enterprise Infrastructure Business Group (Executive Vice President), stated, “Ahead of the full-scale commercialization of quantum computers, we have proactively prepared countermeasures and signed a business agreement with ICTK Holdings to expand the application areas of quantum security services. We will strive to introduce PQC PUF to all devices used in communications so that customers using our services do not worry about security issues.”

Lee Jung-won, CEO of ICTK Holdings, said, “This business agreement will be an opportunity for ICTK Holdings to lead the security market together with LG Uplus. Through close collaboration with LG Uplus, we will quickly produce security chips to be applied to IoT devices and also work to manufacture platforms and solutions with applied quantum security services in the near future.”