Telcos record steady progress with quantum technology
3 min read- A total of 35 telcos worldwide have publicly disclosed their efforts to utilise quantum technology
- Projects relating to quantum safety gained prominence in the second half of 2025
- Satellite companies are also stepping up their efforts
LONDON – 19 January 2026 – Telcos persist with their work to reap the future benefits of quantum technology, which continues to develop apace. This is the main finding from the latest update of ‘Q-Beat’, a tracker of quantum technology deployments across telcos by leading research and consulting company STL Partners.
“Year 2025 was good for telcos’ progress with quantum tech”, points out Marina Koytcheva, research director at STL Partners. The global telecom industry recorded 23 new developments in the second half of 2025 – an average of almost one a week, and as many as in the entirety of 2024. “This is nothing like the boom we see in other tech areas like AI, but it shows a steady level of investment and achievement by telcos worldwide”, comments Koytcheva.
The number of telcos engaging publicly with quantum technology trials or even productisation increased to 35 by the end of 2025. While this is still a small share of all telecom operators in the world, all major telco groups and advanced players are actively pursuing quantum as a technology important for the future. “Work is still concentrated predominantly in South Korea, China, Japan, Europe and North America, but in the second half of 2025, we saw Middle Eastern operators e& and STC, as well as Malaysia’s Maxis, join the elite group of telco innovators in the area of quantum tech”, notes Koytcheva.
Half of the newly recorded projects in the period from July to December 2025 have elements of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), helping telcos’ clients to stay protected against the cyber threats that malicious use of quantum computers will eventually unleash.
Telcos are not doing this alone. The list of technology suppliers working with them includes Adtran, Arqit, ID Quantique, IBM, Nokia, Toshiba, Thales and others. But an important development in 2025 was the murmur coming from satellite players who are also starting to announce work in the area: Hispasat and SES are two examples. This provides an opportunity for telcos to partner with their satellite counterparts in the quest for safe quantum-based communications.
“Telcos built momentum with quantum technology in 2025, and we should expect this trend to continue in 2026. STL Partners’ experts predict that the number of telcos with commercially launched quantum technology-based solutions will double this year, albeit from a low starting point”, concludes Koytcheva.
Learn more about STL Partners’ Q-Beat Telco deployment tracker here.
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STL Partners is a leading research and consulting company that focuses on the telecom industry and adjacent markets by helping telcos and their partners innovate, grow and stay ahead of the competition.
