Telefónica has presented at the MWC its comprehensive proposal for solutions related to quantum technologieswhich he called Quantum Telco. With this step, the operator wants these technologies to be used in real scenarios in a practical and applied manner, in addition to transforming the complexity of quantum computing into tools that improve the security and competitiveness of companies and administrations in their daily lives, and for these advances to reach end users.
The proposal is articulated around four strategic pillars, of which the first is related to Quantum-Safe communications that ensure sensitive information, such as medical records or confidential documentation, against possible quantum attacks in the future. In this way, the operator guarantees the integrity of the operation, with commercial communications services protected with post-quantum cryptography standards.
At its stand at the MCW, which concludes in Barcelona on March 5, Telefónica will show three Quantum-Safe solutions, developed respectively with hardware from Adtran (CPDs interconnection service), Fortinet (Q-Safe inter-office communication service) and Luxquanta (Quantum Key Distribution, or QKD).
The second of these pillars is the creation of quantum ecosystems, within the framework of one of the company’s commitments: to contribute to their birth and reinforcement in Spain, through different initiatives. Among them is the creation of the Javier Echenique Talent and Technology Center, dedicated to quantum technologies and integrated into Biqain, one of the most advanced quantum hubs in Europe, located in Bilbao.
In this center, Telefónica has integrated Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer technology to drive quantum-inspired solutions for optimization tasks. At the event, Telefónica will make real-time requests to the Digital Annealer in Bilbao to show the logistics optimization services in collaboration with Würth, and the optimization and design of data networks at Telefónica.
Telefónica’s third line of action is applied quantum computing: it consists of developing projects that respond to the specific needs of its clients. In this sense, the progress of the cancer drug research project announced by Telefónica in collaboration with the Vithas Group and the Francisco de Vitoria University will be presented.
Telefónica will also present its Quantum-Safe Cryptographic Hub proposal, with which it helps companies protect their data through the development of encryption resistant to advances in quantum computing, and in line with European security standards. The operator will also present the IBM LinuxOne server, a hardware solution prepared for post-quantum environments that Telefónica Tech is using to migrate organizations’ IT infrastructures towards new cryptographic algorithms.
Around this pillar, Telefónica will show five use cases that reflect how the company facilitates the transition to the quantum era for companies and helps them anticipate the risk that cybercriminals are currently stealing data encrypted with traditional techniques to store it and decrypt it in the future with quantum technology that can compromise current encryption.
The first of these cases focuses on the identification, inventory and analysis of cryptographic risk. The second addresses the adoption of encryption-as-a-service and cryptoagility models to facilitate the agile evolution of algorithms, and the third addresses digital sovereignty and external key management.
It will also present a use case for the protection of information during its process and another focused on cryptographic hybridization, in which the combination of conventional and post-quantum algorithms facilitates the progressive transition towards encryption prepared for current and future threats.
Juan Cambeiro, head of Applied Quantum Projects at Telefónica Spainpoints out that «Quantum Telco demonstrates that quantum technologies are no longer a promise for the future, but a reality that Telefónica makes available to its customers today to respond to their needs to be safer, more efficient and competitive companies, which ultimately results in a more beneficial use by society.«.
