ADVA’s ‘Ensemble Controller’ Is Managing Infrastructure for UKQNtel Network

(GlobeNews) ADVA has announced that its FSP 3000 is playing a key role in the new UKQNtel transport network secured by quantum key distribution (QKD). QKD-protected services can now be transmitted 120km between BT’s technology hub in Adastral Park and the University of Cambridge, UK. ADVA has constructed a QKD link capable of carrying classical and quantum channels on the same standard, installed fiber. The entire infrastructure is managed by ADVA’s SDN-based Ensemble Controller, which ensures rapid failure localization. Distributing encryption keys in a quantum state provides the ultimate defense against man-in-the-middle cyberattacks as any attempt to intercept traffic disturbs photons, introducing coding errors and alerting operators. QKD is widely predicted to be a vital tool for securing highly sensitive data transport from all forms of cyberattack, including the threat of quantum computers that could render current public key cryptography useless.
“Our FSP 3000 has now played a pivotal role in several quantum security breakthroughs. But what makes this prototype network so significant is that it brings the technology into the real world. Together with BT and the other partners, we’ve created a fully operational transport network secured by QKD and prepared to carry live data,” commented Jörg-Peter Elbers, SVP, advanced technology, ADVA. “To get to this point, we’ve had to find innovative solutions to some major challenges. These include ensuring the stability of the quantum link by fine-tuning launch power across the network. We also had to standardize key exchange protocols and define planning rules. Collaborating with our research and industry partners, we’ve been able to overcome those challenges and are now ready to usher in a new age of ultra-secure data protection.”