• TelecomTV conducted a quantum-safe networking market perception survey
• More than 300 individuals from the global telecom sector responded
• IBM was identified as the leading developer of technology that will enable quantum-safe networking, followed by Nokia

IBM is the leading developer of technology that will enable quantum-safe networking, according to the results of a recent TelecomTV market perception survey that have just been published in our latest DSP Leaders publication, the Quantum-Safe Networking Perception Report.  

As the quantum computing era approaches, network operators will need to consider how to revise their security strategies to deal with the potential threats that will arise as ‘bad actors’ use quantum computers to crack current encryption standards. 

Some network operators are already quite well advanced with their approaches to quantum-safe networking, which is also referred to as quantum-secure networking, quantum-resistant networking and post-quantum networking – see:

SK Telecom, IDQ et al form Quantum Alliance

Vodafone touts advances in quantum-safe networking

Orange puts Adtran’s quantum-secure networking tech to the test and

BT boasts quantum security breakthrough with Toshiba, EY.

And the GSMA formed a Post-Quantum Telco Network Taskforce, with IBM and Vodafone as initial members, to help accelerate developments. 

But, in general, it seems the sector is still in the very early stages of deciding how and when to protect their systems and customers in the future.

So earlier this month we asked individuals from across the global telecom sector to complete a short market perception survey to gauge how the industry views quantum-safe networking and associated companies. We received usable responses from 336 respondents representing hundreds of companies from all sectors of the industry and from all regions of the world, with vendor respondents accounting for 43% of the total and those from network operators accounting for 23% of the total responses. 

As we always like to know which companies are regarded by the community as the top dogs in each part of the global telecom sector, one of the questions we asked was, ‘Which, if any, of the following companies do you recognise as leaders in the development of technology that will enable quantum-safe networking?’

Respondents were able to select as many of the 11 options we provided as they wished and also suggest others that we hadn’t offered up. 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to many that IBM received the most votes: The company has been involved in quantum computing R&D for decades already and is already involved in multiple initiatives in the telecom sector related to quantum-safe networking (including the GSMA taskforce) and that is reflected in its 51% score. 

Nokia ranked second, attracting votes from 41% of our respondents. Again, it is a company with plenty of history and experience in this field through the work undertaken at Bell Labs over the past few decades as well as its existing offers to the telecom sector and it too is already involved in a number of developments, including a trial conducted with Belgium’s national operator Proximus last year. 

Interestingly, the next three companies on our ranking are network operators – the UK’s BT (26%), South Korea’s SK Telecom (25%) and the UK/Europe’s Vodafone (20%). This reflects the quantum-safe networking progress already made by those telcos. 

To find out where the other companies ranked in the survey and which others were identified by our respondents as leaders and innovators in this important sector, download the nine-page report for free by clicking on this link. 

Check out all of our free-to-download DSP Leaders Reports, including the recent 20-page DSP Leaders Council Industry Vision Report, our 13-page Open RAN Market Perception Report and our 16-page Telecom’s Take on AI report, by clicking on this link. 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV