On October 25, 2019, ITU-T approved Recommendation Y.3800, “Overview on networks supporting quantum key distribution,” the first in a series of ITU-T standards on network and security aspects of quantum information technologies. Developed by Study Group 13, the standard describes the basic conceptual structures of QKD networks, including layered models and basic functional elements needed to support QKD network design, deployment, operation, and maintenance.
Y.3800 extended the scope of QKD beyond isolated point-to-point links, providing a framework for building multi-node QKD networks capable of integration into large-scale ICT infrastructure. The standard was the product of a joint proposal from Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, NEC Corporation, and Toshiba, which had been consented by ITU-T in July 2019.
According to ITU-T, the standard anticipated the arrival of a universal quantum computer powerful enough to run algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm and Grover’s algorithm that threaten the foundations of current cryptographic systems. Y.3800 served as the basis for a suite of follow-on standards including Y.3801 (functional requirements), Y.3802 (functional architecture), Y.3803 (key management), and Y.3804 (control and management), all of which entered development during the same study period.