This is significant because data shared between satellites and ground stations travels through the air and traditionally has been vulnerable to theft, leaving satellite communications even more accessible than typical internet communications, the vendor said.

UK publishes National Quantum Strategy to steer technical standards

In March 2023, the UK government published a new National Quantum Strategy detailing its 10-year plan for leading a quantum-enabled economy, recognizing the importance of quantum technologies for the UK’s security.

The UK will work with relevant global bodies to ensure that global quantum technical standards promote its prosperity and security interests, including accelerating the commercialization of quantum technologies and supporting the sector in the UK, outlined the strategy.

The UK will also work with key partners to scope and identify the best approach to coordinating national engagement in priority areas of quantum technical standards development. Relevant industry and academia will be engaged in these efforts to track priority standards activity, raise stakeholder awareness, and develop roadmaps to support UK engagement with quantum standards development, it added.

“There are a number of early quantum standardization activities taking place globally with significant focus on quantum-safe cryptography and quantum key distribution (QKD), with UK leadership in these areas,” the strategy read.

IETF launches working group to coordinate quantum-resistant cryptographic protocols

In January 2023, the IETF launched the Post-Quantum Use In Protocols (PQUIP) working group to coordinate the use of cryptographic protocols that are not susceptible to large quantum computers. “The idea of the working group is to be a standing venue to discuss PQC from an operational and engineering side,” said Sofia Celi, co-chair of PQUI. “It is also a venue of last resort to discuss PQC-related issues in IETF protocols that have no associated maintenance on other working groups that the IETF has.”

The IESG said the working group has been set up on an experimental basis, and in two years, it intends to review it for rechartering to continue or else closure. In August 2023, the group published the Post-Quantum Cryptography for Engineers paper to provide an overview of the current threat landscape and the relevant algorithms designed to help prevent those threats.