Foray into Global Market
SK Telecom announced on July 26 that it has applied its quantum cryptographic communication system to Deutsche Telekom’s test network in Berlin. The system is made up of a quantum key distribution device, a quantum random number generator, an operating system.
SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are going to apply the same system to the latter’s long-range communication system and commercial network until 2019 as well while working more closely with each other in the European B2B sector.
At present, SK Telecom is accelerating the development of its quantum cryptographic communication technology. Last year, it signed a communication system supply contract worth 10 billion won with Quantum Xchange, an American company, via IDQ, which is a Swiss company and the world’s largest quantum key distribution system provider.
In addition, SK Telecom is planning to propose new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards next month with regard to quantum cryptographic communication systems and quantum random number generators with IDQ, Quantum Xchange, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Geneva. It is going to take part in quantum cryptographic communication standardization by ISO/IEC JTC1, too.
SK Telecom has worked on the technology since 2011 via its Quantum Tech Lab. Two years ago, it applied quantum cryptographic communication to an LTE backhaul network for the first time worldwide between Sejong and Daejeon Cities. Last year, the company developed the world’s smallest quantum random number generator chip, 5 mm in both length and width.