Telefonica, Fortinet and ID Quantique (IDQ) Have Jointly Demonstrated the First Quantum-Safe IPVPN Connection Suitable for Offering a Fully Managed Datacenter Interconnection Service
(IDQuantique) As part of the European OPENQKD project, Telefonica, Fortinet and ID Quantique have successfully demonstrated the combined solution of FortiGate IP Virtual Private Network (IP-VPN) service and IDQ’s Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system, using a standardised ETSI interface, to provide a Quantum-Safe IP encryption solution over a real deployment scenario consisting of a 20 km span.
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications service providers in the world. The company offers fixed and mobile connectivity as well as a wide range of digital services for residential and business customers. With more than 367 million customers, Telefónica operates in Europe and Latin America. As part of their objective to continue to have a secure network in the future, Telefonica is actively preparing a new generation of connectivity solutions that can resist highly sophisticated cyber-attacks made possible with the development of quantum computers. These services may be proposed as a quantum-safe evolution of current B2B services (e.g. SD- WAN connectivity) or point to point encrypted critical connectivity scenarios but also for different use cases improving the security of operator infrastructure (e.g. network management traffic or 5G Multi Access Edge Computing – MEC deployments).
Fortinet’s FortiGate firewalls receive quantum keys generated by IDQ’s QKD system using the standardised ETSI Key Delivery Application Programming Interface (API). Integration of these quantum keys with the existing key derivation function ensures seamless interworking with the FortiGate platform. The combination of the FortiGate high-end appliances and VMs with IDQ’s QKD provides long-term security for critical data transported over VPN’s relying on IPsec protocol.
