Quantum Communications Technology Upgrades Are Essential to Protect Our High-Value Data, Reports IDTechEx

Author: Dr Tess Skyrme, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx

Quantum communications technology seeks to improve data security, which is increasingly compromised in the modern world. The world is generating higher and higher volumes of data, with increasing concerns about its sensitivity. Meanwhile, bad actors are committing more advanced cybercrimes – keen to exploit the value of virtually shared trade secrets, financial data, health records, and more. Moreover, the scaling up of quantum computing threatens to undermine existing cryptography methods entirely – leaving a gap in the market for new ‘quantum-ready’ technology solutions able to meet the next generation of encryption needs. The new IDTechEx quantum communication market report, “Quantum Communication Market 2024-2034: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts”, simplifies this complex technology into accessible to read terms and separates the hype from the reality as to its disruptive potential.

The first wave of technology to disrupt the communications market is post quantum cryptography. This mathematical approach to increasing security will require mass software system upgrades, but not necessarily dedicated hardware. Pressure is growing to raise awareness to all businesses about the need for crypto-agility, and the market for dedicated quantum ready platforms for network managers is already growing.

However, mathematical approaches are constantly under pressure to evolve against new threats – and a software only solution is already insufficient for the most highly sensitive data transfers. Hardware solutions such as quantum key distribution (QKD) are thought to be amongst the few which can probably remain robust to any eves-dropping. This specialized optical technology has been developed for installation within optical fiber networks, leveraging the phenomena of entanglement and no-cloning in a revolutionary new approach to telecommunications. “Quantum Communication Market 2024-2034: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts” contextualizes QKD within the larger cryptography industry shifts, and identifies the key technology approaches and leading companies within the quantum communication market. This includes a specific focus on QKD integration into quantum networks – with global case-studies and updates from China, Europe, the US, UK and Japan.

A key component of QKD is a better random number generator for more secure key generation. Yet these quantum random number generations (QRNGs) have applications beyond just state-of-the-art quantum networks. QRNGs have already been incorporated into some smartphones and have been adopted by the gambling and gaming industry. This report analyses the competitive landscape of the QRNG market and appraises the future outlook for this technology at both the PCIe and chip-scale.

Key Aspects of the Quantum Communication Market Report

“Quantum Communication Market 2024-2034: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts” provides critical market intelligence about quantum communication market. This includes:

A review of the context and motivation for quantum communications technology

• Overview of the threat to existing data security methods and cryptography vulnerabilities
• Breakdown of the threat to data security posed by quantum computers.
• General overview of post quantum cryptography (PQC)
• Overall look at hardware sectors within the quantum communication market, including quantum random number generators (QRNG) and quantum key distribution (QKD) 
• Update on the progress of quantum network implementation in key geographies, including case studies from China, Europe, US, UK and Japan with key commercial partners identified.

Full market characterization for Quantum Random Number Generators and Quantum Key Distribution within the quantum communication market

• Details of the principle of operation of both QRNG and QKD and associated supply chain considerations regarding light sources and single photon detectors.
• Review of the QRNG landscape, including comparison with incumbent pseudo-random number generators (PRNG) and classical true random number generators (TRNG).
• Comparison of hardware approaches and key performance metrics achieved by players developing optical QRNG, including established players and start-ups. Overview of differentials and challenges offered by non-optical approaches, including unnelling and beta-decay.
• The growth of QRNG adoption for higher quality entropy sources and applications in cryptography as well as gambling, gaming, and Monte Carlo simulations.
• Review of the QKD landscape and comparison with algorithmic approaches as well as PQC and DHE.
• Update and outlook on the commercial market for quantum networks, both terrestrial and space-based.

Market analysis throughout

• Reviews of quantum communications market players’ thoughts, including those in PQC, QRNG, and QKD, as well as quantum computing, with company profiles from over 25 companies. 
• Market forecasts from 2024-2034 covering QRNG and QKD, focusing on the commercial outlook.

To find out more about the new IDTechEx report “Quantum Communication Market 2024-2034: Technology, Trends, Players, Forecasts”, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/QuanComm.

Upcoming free-to-attend webinar

Quantum Communication Technology: How Can Physics Protect Our Data Security?

Dr Tess Skyrme, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this article will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on Wednesday 14 February 2024 – Quantum Communication Technology: How Can Physics Protect Our Data Security?

The power of quantum physics represents both a threat to data security, as well as a solution to protect it. Overall, IDTechEx forecasts that the Quantum Communication Market will exceed US$1.2 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 28%. But how is the industry likely to evolve in the shorter term, and what are the opportunities for technological innovation in this sector? To answer these questions, this webinar will cover:

• What is quantum communication technology, and what is the state of the industry?
• What are the competing quantum random number generator technologies, how do they work, and what are the opportunities and challenges?
• What is quantum key distribution, and how is it being used in quantum networks?
• How will the quantum communication market evolve both short, medium, and long term – and when are the key inflection points for commercial value creation?

Click here to find out more and register your place on one of our three sessions. If you are unable to make the date, please register anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording (available for a limited time) and webinar slides as soon as they are available.