LG Uplus and KT announced on the 29th that the 'Quantum Cryptography Network Technology,' jointly proposed by seven domestic quantum cryptography companies and institutions (LG Uplus, KT, KIST, KAIST, ETRI, Telefield, and EYL), including KT and LG Uplus, was approved as an international standard at the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) standardization meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Quantum communication is a communication technology that utilizes the unreplicable nature of quantum mechanics; since the sender and receiver can detect any attempt by a third party to intercept communication information, hacking is impossible.

At the regular meeting of the ITU-T's Group 13 held in Geneva from July 16 to 27, a request from seven domestic industry, academia, and research institutes to initiate standardization of quantum cryptographic communication networks was approved, and the international standard proposal submitted alongside it was adopted as the ITU's draft standard for quantum cryptographic communication networks. At the meeting, Dr. Kim Hyung-soo of KT was appointed as the chief editor for standard development.

The technologies approved as international standards this time are network structures and functions for quantum cryptographic communication, interfaces between quantum cryptographic communication network transmission equipment, and service procedure technologies. In addition, the structure of the one-to-many quantum cryptography communication test network, which KT built for the first time in the world together with KIST last February, is also included in the standard.

This is particularly significant in that it has laid the groundwork for the commercialization of quantum cryptography by utilizing this international standard technology to develop methods for establishing quantum cryptography in commercial networks and scenarios for responding to hacking attempts.

For example, if a hacker attempts to eavesdrop on a major national communication network, the quantum communication network can detect this, simultaneously suspend critical services, and immediately resume communication by connecting to a new secure route. Through this scenario, it is expected that a stable quantum communication structure will be possible, enabling seamless communication free from hacking threats.

With the goal of ensuring the safety of communication infrastructure, KT has been collaborating with leading research institutions such as KIST, ETRI, and KAIST, as well as Telefield, EYL, Wooriro, UM Logics, and global manufacturers since the beginning of this year on the development of quantum cryptography communication technology and application services.

LG Uplus also conducted various network interconnection field tests with the Spanish telecommunications operator Telefónica last June, including quantum cryptography communication and data center network interconnection, interconnection between operator networks, and research on the integration of software-defined networking (SDN) and quantum cryptography communication.

The two companies, which have been continuously collaborating with domestic and international industry, academia, and research institutions as well as global manufacturers, have pioneered a standard ecosystem for the first time in the domestic quantum cryptography industry through this joint promotion of standardization, and have also demonstrated the potential for open cooperation.

Jeon Hong-beom, Director of the Infrastructure Research Institute at KT's Convergence Technology Institute, stated, "This achievement proves on the global stage KT's philosophy of strengthening national competitiveness through collaboration with domestic industries," adding, "KT will continue to develop quantum cryptography network technology together with domestic research institutions, universities, and excellent partner companies, and strive to enhance the competitiveness of related services."

Lee Sang-heon, Head of Network Development at LG Uplus, stated, “Starting with this security technology standardization activity, we will lead new technology standards by securing various intelligence security technologies capable of resolving network security threats,” adding, “We will encourage the development of future network technologies by domestic manufacturers and secure competitiveness in security technology through continuous exchanges with domestic and international operators.”