SKT Consortium Develops Satellite-Equipped Quantum Encryption System

SKT Consortium Wins National Project for Quantum Cryptography Development
Aiming to Develop Long-Range Wireless System for Satellite Deployment

SK Telecom is forming a consortium to develop a quantum cryptography communication system that enhances the security of wireless and satellite communications.

On the 25th of last month, at 'Quantum Korea 2024,' the largest quantum exhibition in Korea, SKT consortium officials are discussing related matters ahead of the project commencement. Photo by SK Telecom

On the 2nd, SKT announced that it has secured a national project to develop a quantum cryptography communication system in the form of a consortium and has begun full-scale development. The consortium includes SKT, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL), and Kyung Hee University.

The SKT consortium won the project titled "Development of Satellite-Embedded Long-Distance Wireless Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) System" from the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) under the Ministry of Science and ICT in April.

QKD is a technology that simultaneously generates and distributes quantum cryptographic keys on both ends of a communication channel based on the principles of quantum mechanics. In principle, it is impossible to hack, making it the most secure cryptographic system to date.

The ultimate goal of this five-year national project is to develop a 30 km-class long-distance wireless QKD system capable of being deployed not only on the ground but also on satellites by integrating high-performance QKD implementation technology, optical coupling technology, adaptive optics technology, and wireless laser communication technology.

In addition to this consortium, SKT is also engaging in industry-academia quantum technology collaborations. It is participating in the quantum fab construction project led by KAIST, which aims to develop semiconductor materials based on quantum mechanics. SKT is also involved in the quantum cryptography communication network channel unification project led by IDQ Korea in collaboration with ETRI.

Furthermore, SKT is working on complementarily combining QKD technology with quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC) technology, which has high applicability. Together with IDQ, a member company of the quantum enterprise alliance "Xquantum," SKT is promoting the development of an integrated solution that hybridizes the two technologies.

Moreover, SKT released the quantum cryptography chip product "Q-HSM" in collaboration with another Xquantum member company, KCS, and showcased it at the "Quantum Korea 2024" exhibition last month.

Ha Min-yong, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of SKT's Global Solution Office, said, "We are pleased to undertake this national project through cooperation with institutions and universities possessing the best quantum technology in Korea. We will secure technological leadership by complementarily applying QKD and PQC across all areas of information and communication technology (ICT), including wired, wireless, and satellite networks, and lead the global quantum cryptography communication market."