Towards a wider optimisation of quantum communication infrastructure deployments

The deployment of quantum communication infrastructures is costly, necessitating optimisation strategies to reduce deployment cost while ensuring the desired performance. Most current studies primarily focus on resource allocation in quantum communication networks after deployment. While some initial studies have begun to investigate deployment strategies, they remain limited to specific QKD types, such as point-to-point and measure-device-independent QKD. However, a broader approach is needed to optimise network deployment in a broader manner, to incorporate insights relevant to the optical networking and quantum systems industries, as well as other external constraints beyond cost and performance. This paper introduces a vision for optimisation in quantum networks focused on planning their deployment in advance to determine which types of systems should be installed and where. The approach includes considering a broader set of requirements, such as trust and governance. Grounded in the experience gained from planning the deployment of the Madrid quantum network, MadQCI, this vision aims to support more realistic deployment strategies.