Belfast-based tech start-up Angoka has been chosen to work with BT for the first trial in end-to-end quantum-secured communications for 5G.
The IoT (Internet of Things) security firm has been chosen for the initiative along with partners Nu Quantum, Arqit and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG).
The AIRQKD Trial, which is being funded with £7.7 m from Innovate UK, is part of the UK’s National Quantum Technologies programme.
The aim of the project is to incorporate BT’s capabilities with innovation from the selected start-ups to provide new ways of securing mobile and IoT devices using quantum technologies.
The trial will attempt to produce Quantum Key Distribution over various networks, in tandem with Angoka’s quantum-enhanced security chips within devices.
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The result should be a virtually un-hackable connection between 5G towers and devices. Trials are planned to take place at BT’s labs at Adastral Park in Suffolk.
The project will run for a total of three years and began in summer 2020.
Yuri Andersson, co-founder and CEO of Angoka said: “As an increasing number of devices are becoming connected, ensuring the security of their communication becomes fundamental to our societies and our way of life.
“Angoka has developed a unique hardware security solution which integrates seamlessly with QKD to provide not only superior performance, but crucially also the ‘last-mile’ delivery of these ultra-secure encryption keys to the end users.”
Andrew Lord, Senior Manager of Optical Networks Research at BT noted: “Angoka are at the forefront of a thrilling new technology – Physically Unclonable Functions – which will bring strong security and authentication to consumers.
“As Project Manager of the Innovate-UK funded project AIRQKD, I am privileged to see how Angoka’s technology is being interfaced into broader security solutions, such as for 5G and autonomous vehicles.”
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Source: Written from press release
