[Edaily Reporter Han Kwangbeom ] SK Broadband ( SKTelecom(017670)) and the Korea Information & Communication Science and Technology Information Institute (KISTI) announced on the 22nd that they have developed the world’s first “digital twin” technology capable of verifying the performance and operational feasibility of a quantum cryptography communication network before its actual deployment.

This technology was unveiled at “ECOC (European Conference on Optical Communication) 2026,” Europe’s largest international optical communications event, held in Málaga, Spain. At the exhibition, it was showcased at the SK Broadband booth, which received support from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the KoreaInformation&Communication Agency (NIA) through their “Demand-Based Quantum Technology Demonstration and Consulting” project.

Quantum cryptographic communication networks have traditionally posed challenges in implementing diverse demonstration environments due to the difficulty of modifying conditions—such as optical cable length or optical loss—once deployed, as well as high equipment costs. To overcome these limitations, SKT and KISTI adopted a digital twin approach that replicates the entire verification process in a virtual environment.

The core of this technology lies in the real-time integration of KISTI’s quantum key distribution (QKD) simulator and SKT’s Kubernetes-based quantum key management (KM) system via an interface compatible with international standards. The two organizations implemented the integration of quantum key requests and delivery, as well as real-time status information (telemetry), by applying interfaces compatible with the international standard ETSI GS QKD 014 and the next-generation standard ETSI GS QKD 023.

This enables the entire process—from key generation to management and distribution—to be linked and verified in a virtual environment. Since the simulation can precisely reflect the characteristics of actual equipment and surrounding environments—such as communication distance, optical loss, reception efficiency, and post-processing algorithms—verified configurations can be directly applied to real-world operational environments.

Furthermore, by adhering to international standards that are not dependent on specific equipment or proprietary interfaces, the system has secured interoperability and scalability with quantum cryptography equipment developed by other institutions or companies in the future.

This achievement was carried out with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) under the project “Core Technologies for Expanding the Efficiency and Optimizing Resources of QKD Networks,” as well as from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) under the project “Development of Quantum Cryptography Communication Network Technologies Based on National Research Infrastructure.”

Ryu Tak-ki, Head of Network Technology at SKT, stated, “By integrating the Kubernetes-based key management system with the quantum key distribution simulator, we can now flexibly verify various network environments and key management functions,” adding, “Based on this, we will build a highly scalable operational environment for quantum cryptography communication networks.”

Song Joong-seok, Head of the Future Network Technology Research Division at KISTI, remarked, “This technology is significant in that it has laid the groundwork for implementing various quantum cryptography communication environments and verifying them through integration with actual key management systems.” He added, “We will continue to develop this into a core technology that enhances the interoperability and scalability of quantum cryptography communication networks in the future.”