Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the launch of the National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) at Asia Tech x Singapore 2023. The NQSN+ was part of Singapore’s Digital Connectivity Blueprint, which outlined the country’s digital connectivity plans to 2030, according to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
IMDA’s NQSN+ built on the earlier NQSN testbed, which had been launched in 2022 and demonstrated the technical feasibility of deploying quantum-safe technologies including Quantum Key Distribution. NQSN+ would support network operators in deploying quantum-safe networks nationwide, starting with at least two operators. IMDA received proposals from Singtel and from a joint partnership between SPTel and SpeQtral.
Alongside the launch, IMDA published Singapore’s first Reference Specification on QKD Networks to guide technology vendors and organizations deploying QKD. Singapore and Japan also agreed to co-lead the first standardization of the QKD protocol framework at the ITU Telecommunication Standardisation Sector. IMDA signed a separate MoU with South Korea’s National Information Society Agency to collaborate on quantum technologies and standardization efforts.