End-to-End Quantum Secured Inter-Domain 5G Service Orchestration Over Dynamically Switched Flex-Grid Optical Networks Enabled by a q-ROADM

Abstract

Dynamic and flexible optical networking combined with virtualization and softwarisation enabled by Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) are the key technology enablers for supporting the dynamicity, bandwidth and latency requirements of emerging 5G network services. To achieve the end-to-end connectivity objective of 5G, Network Services (NSes) must be often deployed transparently over multiple administrative and technological domains. Such scenario often presents security risks since a typical NS 1 may comprise a chain of network functions, each executed in different remote locations, and tampering within the network infrastructure may compromise their communication.To avoid such threats, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) has been identified and proposed as a future-proof method immune to any algorithmic cryptanalysis based on fundamental quantumphysics mechanisms to distribute symmetric keys. The maturity of QKD has enabled the research and development of quantum networks with gradual coexistence with classical optical networks using carrier-grade telecom equipment. This makes the QKD technology a suitable candidate for security of distributed and virtualised network services.In this paper, for the first time, we propose a dynamic quantum-secured optical network for supporting network services that are dynamically created by chaining Virtual Network Functions (VNFs 2 ) over multiple network domains. This work includes a new flex-grid quantum-switched Reconfigurable Optical Add Drop Multiplexer (q-ROADM), extensions to SDN-enabled optical control plane, and extensions to NFV orchestration to achieve quantum-aware, on-demand chaining of VNFs. The experimental results verify the capability of routing quantum and classical data channels both individually and dynamically over shared fibre links. Moreover, quantum secured chaining of VNFs in 5G networks is experimentally demonstrated via interconnecting four autonomous 5G islands simultaneously through the q-ROADM with eight optical channels using the 5GUK Exchange orchestration platform. The experimental scenarios and results confirm the benefit of the proposed data plane architecture and control/management plane framework.Index Terms-5G, management and network orchestration, network function virtualization, quantum key distribution, secure network service, q-ROADM.

The Evolution of Quantum Key Distribution Networks: On the Road to the Qinternet

“…In particular, a commercial QKD-enhanced mobile phone has been developed by QuantumCTek in collaboration with ZTE [518], while China Telecom and QuantumCTek are jointly promoting the development of quantum encrypted phone calls relying on a special SIM card and smartphone app [519]. From the perspective of mobile network infrastructures, an experiment demonstrating the feasibility of QKD-secured inter-domain fifth generation (5G) service orchestration has been performed [520], while a field trial of dynamic QKD networking relying on the Bristol city 5GUK test network has been reported on in [127]. In [521], QKD-assisted 5G network slicing has been demonstrated.…”

5G network slicing with QKD and quantum-safe security

“…Using network slicing to control encryption is relatively novel, but nevertheless has already been considered theoretically in [10] and [11] by utilising QKD in tandem with a QRA (specifically, a QRA version of Elliptic-Curve Cryptography), and has also performed experimentally over the Bristol City 5G UK Test Network in the works of [12][13][14], by applying QKD to 5G networking. Moreover, in [15], proof-of-transit of the 5G data traffic is demonstrated, using cryptographic techniques with QKD over the Madrid Quantum Network [16] -this network has also been used to demonstrate securing the management of the SDN control plane through QKD in [17,18].…”

Towards Co-Existence of 100 Gbps Classical Channel Within a WDM Quantum Entanglement Network

“…However, the use of separate multiple fibres for quantum and classical data layers would be extremely impractical for large scale quantum entangled networks. Conditional co-existence of classical and quantum channels has been demonstrated for DV-QKD and CV-QKD quantum system [8][9][10]. For the entanglement distribution, such co-existence demonstrations have so far been limited for two users and in laboratory conditions [11] while significantly affecting the performance of the quantum entangled link.…”