PROJECT OVERVIEW

Telecommunication networks are critical infrastructure for ensuring the proper functioning of social communities. With digitalization has become a more urgent need than ever (not the least due to COVID-19), network communications that are easy to use and secure at the same time become crucial. Quantum networks have, compared to public-key cryptography secured systems, the appeal of handling most of the key-management matters transparently in the background, and due to using symmetric encryption, can work with longer-lived keys.
Quantum key distribution (QKD), based on the laws of physics rather than the computational complexity of mathematical problems, provides an information-theoretically secure (ITS) way of establishing symmetrical binary keys between two geographically distant users. The keys are secure from eavesdropping during the transmission and QKD ensures that any third party‟s knowledge of the key is reduced to a minimum which provides the quantum-resistant encryption. In recent years, noticeable progress in the development of quantum
equipment has been reflected through a number of successful demonstrations of the QKD technology. While they show the great achievements of QKD, many practical difficulties still need to be resolved, especially from the point of view of network management and organization.

As the research in 5G and QKD technology grows larger and becomes more complex, the need for highly accurate and scalable simulation technologies becomes important to assess the practical feasibility and foresee difficultiesin the practical implementation of theoretical achievements. After the design of a new network solution, a researcher has several possibilities to evaluate and validate the obtained results. Unfortunately, the theoretical analysis of networks containing a large number of nodes and links is a demanding process, since the mathematical constructs become too complex for realistic considerations. A simulation is an essential tool for the computer networks research since it offers the creation of complex network topologies, a high degree of control and repeatable experiments, which in turn allows researchers to conduct experiments and confirm their results.

QUANTUM5 will practically demonstrate the application of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) in 5G networking, providing sophisticated simulation tools and practical guidelines for further quantum technology convergence. Within the 5G network testbed installed on the campus of the VSB Technical University in Ostrava (Czech Republic), QUANTUM5 will integrate QKD technology to demonstrate secure 5G networking concepts such as network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) management. The goal is
to examine the adaptive ways of network organization and management of the network through the assurance of the 5G high-speed networking and continuous provision of information-theoretical levels of security.