KT will expand its quantum cryptography communications testbed nationwide by 2028 and verify next-generation quantum communications technology based on wireless and satellite links.

KT said on Oct. 22 it has completed a project launch briefing for the "2026 Open Quantum Testbed Advancement and Expansion Project" promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA), and will move ahead in earnest.

The project aims to expand the existing quantum cryptography communications testbed centered on Seoul, Pangyo and Daejeon across the country and support verification and industrialization of next-generation quantum technology.

KT will be responsible for building and operating the commercial hub "Section A" and the future hub "Section C". In Section A, it will newly build routes Daejeon to Daegu, Daejeon to Gwangju, Daegu to Busan and Seoul to Chuncheon, centered on the existing Daejeon hub. It will lay the groundwork for a nationwide quantum cryptography communications network linking the Chungcheong, Honam, Yeongnam and Gangwon regions.

Using domestically developed quantum cryptography communications equipment, it will build an environment that can interconnect different communications networks and devices. It will also pursue demonstrations in real service environments across areas such as finance and healthcare to verify the potential for commercialising the technology.

In Section C, the future hub, it will extend existing fibre-optic, wired quantum key distribution (QKD) technology into wireless and satellite domains. QKD is a technology that securely transmits encryption keys using quantum mechanical properties.

KT plans to expand the demonstration distance for wireless QKD from about 4.8 km to about 15 km. It will also apply equipment modularisation and adaptive optics technology for atmospheric turbulence to secure core technologies that can later be extended to satellite communications. It also plans to verify "quantum entanglement distribution" technology that shares entangled states among multiple communications nodes to lay the groundwork for long-distance quantum networks.

Jeon Myung-jun (전명준), executive director and head of KT's Enterprise Service Division, said, "We will contribute to commercialising quantum technology in Korea and revitalising the industrial ecosystem by expanding a demonstration environment that public and private sectors and research institutions can use together."