KT will start probing for the Quantum Key Distribution technology. It is forecast that KT will compete with SK Telecom, which began to develop the Quantum Key Distribution technology ahead of KT, in earnest. 

The KT Institute of Convergence Technology and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will jointly host the Quantum Key Distribution technology exchange conference in Daejeon on December 11. At this conference held in the Daejeon R&D Center of the KT Institute of Convergence Technology, Lee Dong-myeon, CEO of the KT ICT, and Prof. Lee Chang-hee, Department of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, will be present. Quantum Key Distribution technology, domestic and overseas trends and future outlook will be discussed. 

This move of KT is thought to be more than simple information collection. The KT Institute of Convergence Technology conducts researches on future technologies, and it is a move that takes technology development and investment into consideration. 

People in and outside of KT say that, considering the fact that the KT ICT, not the Daejeon R&D Center, holds this event, it means that KT places so much importance on it. 

Experts expected that KT's participation would further accelerate the development of the Quantum Key Distribution technology in Korea. It will trigger competition with SK Telecom in technology development. 

SK Telecom established the 'Quantum Tech Lab' in its Institute of Convergence Technology back in 2011, and has since been conducting Quantum Key Distribution researches. As SK Telecom recently began to develop a chip that can implement Quantum Key Distribution easily at a low cost, it is thought to have gotten a step closer to commercialization. 

If KT joins the Quantum Key Distribution bandwagon following SK Telecom, Korea will lead the world in commercialization of Quantum Key Distribution. 

“As the Quantum Key Distribution technology is not widely commercialized yet, if we start now, we can catch up technologically,” said Prof. Ahn Do-yeol, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Seoul. “If the two top mobile carriers compete with each other, technology will be developed at an accelerated pace.” 

Quantum Key Distribution is called the 'security technology of dream' which makes wiretapping and monitoring impossible. It is regarded as an essential technology for not only traditional fixed and mobile communication, but also Internet of Things (IoT). 

The government also decided to establish the ‘mid-to long-term Quantum Key Distribution promotion strategy’ and secure world-best technology by 2020. As many countries, including the US, China, Europe, Japan, Canada and Australia, are investing tons of money ranging between tens of billions of Korean Won and KRW1 trillion, a 'silent quantum war’ is in the offing.