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It is early days for quantum technologies in telecoms, but a handful of operators have already made progress with one specific branch: quantum communications. In this article, we take a look at three examples of commercially available solutions, pointing the direction of travel for this emerging market.
Communication is currently the most prolific quantum tech area for telcos
Across the globe, progressive telecom operators have been working with quantum technology for a while, exploring its potential uses and preparing for the inevitable cyber threats that will arrive with it. The first edition of STL Partners’ ‘Q-Beat: Telco quantum deployment tracker’, launched in July 2025, captured 75 announcements related to quantum technology from 29 telcos worldwide. Of these, the majority relate to quantum communications- a provision for data transfer using quantum states, which effectively makes the transfer safe, as “eavesdropping” is not possible.
Activity is naturally concentrated in the most advanced markets. This is particularly strong in South Korea and Japan: SK Telecom tops the chart with the largest number of quantum-related announcements, dating as early as February 2018. Still, the earliest announcement in the tracker comes from AT&T, which in May 2017 established the AT&T Foundry innovation centre in partnership with the California Institute of Technology to develop quantum technologies.
Here are three examples of more recent activity related to commercially available quantum communication.
BT’s quantum-secure metro network in the UK
BT was among the first in Europe to explore quantum-secure communication. In April 2022, it launched a commercial network leveraging quantum key distribution (QKD) to ensure secure data transfer for enterprise clients. This was done in partnership with Toshiba, one of the most successful vendors in this space, which provided the QKD hardware.
This wasn’t just a lab test; it was one of the world’s first commercial rollouts of a quantum-secure network, marking a milestone in quantum adoption. The network connected sites in London (The Docklands and The City) with locations along a major motorway. Early customers included HSBC and EY. With this launch, BT laid the groundwork for a service line that could become a premium security offering, especially in sectors such as finance, where data security is mission-critical.
KT’s quantum network in South Korea impresses with coverage
In February 2025, Korea Telecom (KT) announced the commercial launch of a hybrid quantum-secure network, that combines QKD with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) based virtual private network (VPN) to deliver robust protection for enterprises on its 5G network. The new network spans a total transmission distance of 580 km with 15 nodes, pushing forward the distance over which quantum networks operate.
Orange’s quantum-secure network in Paris has cross-sector appeal
In June 2025, Orange, together with Toshiba, unveiled Orange Quantum Defender – a commercial quantum-secure network in Paris, France, consisting of three QKD nodes, covering a route of 150 kilometres in length, and combining hardware-based QKD with software-based PQC. Orange has already signed customers from the financial sector and is in discussions with other companies spanning the defence, aerospace, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors.
Looking ahead
Singtel, Telus, Telefónica, Turkcell are some of the other telcos that have demonstrated progress in quantum communications. While this is a natural starting place for a telco to deploy quantum technology, we expect to see many new announcements in the coming months in the area of quantum cybersecurity. With post-quantum threats looming, elevating security to a new level will become essential for all businesses in the years ahead. STL Partners’ ‘Q-Beat: Telco quantum deployment tracker’ will keep clients abreast of all emerging trends.