Colt pioneers quantum-proof data protection in breakthrough network trial

March 21, 2025 11:23 AM

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Colt Technology Services has successfully completed a trial of quantum-secured encryption across its fibre optical network.

Working with Adtran, Ciena, ID Quantique, Nokia, and Toshiba, the firm trialled three different quantum security techniques across two network environments and found each can effectively protect data from future quantum computing threats.

Quantum computing presents a serious security concern, raising concerns over its ability to potentially circumvent traditional data encryption methods as such hardware can solve mathematical problems exponentially faster.

Colt and its partners sought to use quantum to fight quantum, employing three potential security measures to secure data transfers:

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD): Using quantum physics principles to generate and distribute encryption keys
Pre-Shared Key (PSK) with symmetric key distribution
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) technology

They tried the three approaches on a long-distance connection between London and Frankfurt spanning 1,361 km and a London to Slough metro network covering 88 km.

“Safeguarding data from future risk is a huge challenge for businesses, particularly when the threat comes from a technology as complex and unknown as quantum,” said Buddy Bayer, chief operating officer at Colt.

The group found that the tech could successfully protect data being sent via dual fibre pairs.

Notably, Colt and its partners demonstrated that quantum key distribution can function on a single fibre pair where both quantum signals and regular data traffic share the same physical infrastructure.

Such a breakthrough potentially solves the engineering challenge of preserving extremely fragile quantum properties while eliminating the need for dedicated quantum communication channels — meaning network operators could implement quantum security without deploying separate fibre infrastructure.

“With this successful trial, we’re not just keeping pace with the future of cybersecurity, we are leading the charge,” Bayer added. “Our commitment to innovation and security ensures that our customers can confidently navigate the quantum era, knowing their data is protected by the most advanced encryption technologies available.”