ABB Instaling Quantum-Safe Communication System for Oman Electricity Transmission Company

(TDWorld) In the Sultanate of Oman, ABB is in the process of installing a high-reliability grid communications technology solution to ensure the exceptional level of security necessary to protect vital infrastructure such as power grids. This is crucial in a world where developments in quantum computers (powerful computers that leverage principles of quantum physics) threaten to break existing asymmetric algorithms used to encrypt and secure communications in mission-critical infrastructure.
ABB’s grid communications technology will protect the critical digital electrical infrastructure for the Oman Electricity Transmission Co. (OETC).
Increasingly automated and interconnected power grid networks need specialized high-performance communication systems. The new communication system for OETC will be among the first in the world to feature a Quantum-Safe encryption card which provides best-in-class, end-to-end encryption for mission-critical utility networks.
ABB’s quantum-safe solution breaks new ground and uses a method that incorporates the physical properties of light to generate truly random encryption keys. This will ensure uncompromising real-time performance and Quantum-safe security. The secure key generation mechanism and implemented crypto-agility is termed “quantum-safe”. Crypto-agility facilitates system upgrades and evolution without having to make significant changes to the system’s infrastructure.