Nokia, as a critical supplier to network operators worldwide, is taking a leading role in providing a roadmap to securing networks and applications for the post-Q day world. Nokia has a layered approach to post-quantum secure networks, the Quantum Safe Network (QSN).

Nokia positions the Quantum Safe Network as an important underpinning for everyone’s move to a digital economy – what Nokia terms the Hyper-digital era. Secure and trusted data is critical to this move and requires a quantum-secure and trusted digital foundation.

Nokia is employing a pragmatic approach based on a layered “Defence in Depth” approach, combining application encryption based on PQC with network encryption based on Symmetric Key Infrastructure (SKI). Nokia is working with NIST, the US security department, to put in place the key building blocks for the post-quantum network, based on this layered approach.

• Focusing on Symmetric cryptography at the lower network layers
• Focusing on PQC (new asymmetric public-private key approaches) at the application layer
• Prioritising use cases, recognizing you can’t do everything at once.
• Combining these in a pragmatic way that allows CSPs to adopt a Quantum Safe Network now, prioritising areas with the most risk