In January 2024, BWI GmbH, the federal IT service provider for the German armed forces, announced the completion of a three-year modernization of the Bundeswehr’s wide area network (WANBw). The approximately 13,000-kilometer fiber optic backbone network now carries quantum-resistant encryption by default, with the PQC technology approved by the BSI for classified information up to the VS-NfD classification level, according to European Security and Technology.
BWI stated that the implemented post-quantum cryptography is “used by default and cannot be switched off.” A new fiber monitoring system also contributed to increased protection of the core network. Bandwidths of up to 100 Gbit/s were now possible, with capacity expandable without changes to the physical infrastructure.
BWI noted that the first quantum computers capable of breaking current encryption could arrive as early as the 2030s, making the upgrade a precautionary measure for the Bundeswehr’s complete domestic voice and data communications.