MadQCI: a heterogeneous and scalable SDN-QKD network deployed in production facilities
Abstract Current quantum key distribution (QKD) networks focus almost exclusively on transporting secret keys at the highest possible rate. Consequently, they are built as mostly fixed, ad hoc, logically, and physically isolated infrastructures designed to avoid any penalty to the quantum channel. This architecture is neither scalable nor cost-effective and future, real-world deployments will differ considerably. The structure of the MadQCI QKD network presented here is based on disaggregated components and modern paradigms especially designed for flexibility, upgradability, and facilitating the integration of QKD in the security and telecommunications-networks ecosystem. These underlying ideas have been tested by deploying many QKD systems from several manufacturers in a real-world, multi-tenant telecommunications network, installed in production facilities and sharing the infrastructure with commercial traffic. Different technologies have been used in different links to address the variety of situations and needs that arise in real networks, exploring a wide range of possibilities. Finally, a set of realistic use cases has been implemented to demonstrate the validity and performance of the network. The testing took place during a period close to three years, where most of the nodes were continuously active.
Authors
- Michael Hentschel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3986-5725)
- Alberto Sebastián-Lombraña (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7724-2911)
- Hans H. Brunner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4878-0435)
- Florian Fröwis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2743-3119)
- César Sánchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3927-4773)
- Jaime S. Buruaga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9502-9978)
- Momtchil Peev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7928-0409)
- Robert I. Woodward (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5026-494X)
- Juan P. Brito
- Andreas Poppe
- Fred Fung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1417-4995)
- Francisco A. Perez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8456-5209)
- Rubén B. Méndez
- José Manuel Rivas-Moscoso
- Rafael J. Vicente (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6334-639X)
- David Rincón (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1294-3842)
- Carlos Abellán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1122-6622)
- Helmut Grießer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2220-0172)
- Jesús Folgueira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1207-4077)
- Diego López (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8326-2000)
- S. Roehrich
- Antonio Pastor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2849-9782)
- Andrew J. Shields (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4100-3489)
- F. de la Iglesia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6127-9493)
- Laura Ortíz
- Vicente Martín
Institutions
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH (AT)
- ADVA Optical Networking (Germany) (DE)
- Rohde & Schwarz (Germany) (DE)
- Huawei Technologies (Germany) (DE)
- Telefonica Research and Development (ES)
- Quside Technologies (Spain) (ES)
- Toshiba (United Kingdom) (GB)
- IMDEA Software Institute (ES)
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Quantum Information
- Published
- 2024-09-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-024-00873-2
- Citations
- 69
- Primary Topic
- Software-Defined Networks and 5G
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 24.07
Funders
- Comunidad de Madrid
- European Commission
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- QuantERA
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación