New article published in “ACM Computing Surveys”

Quantum Key Distribution: A Networking Perspective

Authors

Miralem Mehic
- Department of Telecommunications, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
Marcin Niemiec
- VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
- AGH University ofScience and Technology, Poland
Stefan Rass
- Universitaet Klagenfurt, Austria
Jiajun Ma
- QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., China
Momtchil Peev
- Huawei Technologies Duesseldorf GmbH, Germany
Alejandro Aguado
- Center for Computational Simulation, Universidad Politécnicade Madrid, Spain
Vicente Martin
- Center for Computational Simulation and Dept. LSIIS, ETSIinf, UniversidadPolitécnica de Madrid, Spain
Stefan Schauer
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Security & Communication Technologies, Center for Digital Safety & Security, Austria
Andreas Poppe
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Security & Communication Technologies, Center for Digital Safety & Security, Austria
Christoph Pacher
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Security & Communication Technologies, Center for Digital Safety & Security, Austria
Miroslav Voznak
- VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic

Abstract

The convergence of quantum cryptography with applications used in everyday life is a topic drawing attention from the industrial and academic worlds. The development of quantum electronics has led to the practical achievement of quantum devices that are already available on the market and waiting for their first application on a broader scale. A major aspect of quantum cryptography is the methodology of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which is used to generate and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys between two geographically separate users using the principles of quantum physics. In previous years, several successful QKD networks have been created to test the implementation and interoperability of different practical solutions. This article surveys previously applied methods, showing techniques for deploying QKD networks and current challenges of QKD networking. Unlike studies focusing on optical channels and optical equipment, this survey focuses on the network aspect by considering network organization, routing and signaling protocols, simulation techniques, and a software-defined QKD networking approach.

Keywords

Networks; Network properties; Network security; Security protocols;

DOI

10.1145/3402192

URL

Full article available on: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3402192

Citation

Miralem Mehic, Marcin Niemiec, Stefan Rass, Jiajun Ma, Momtchil Peev, Alejandro Aguado, Vicente Martin, Stefan Schauer, Andreas Poppe, Christoph Pacher, and Miroslav Voznak. 2020. Quantum Key Distribution: A Networking Perspective. ACM Computing Surveys 53, 5, Article 96 (September 2020), 41 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3402192