QKD-based MACsec control plane for the Open-RAN Fronthaul

• DOI: 10.1049/icp.2023.2361
• Publication Date: 2024-03-25T20:11:47Z
• Authors: D. Dik; R. D. Oliveira; E. Arabul; M. S. Berger; R. Nejabati; D. Simeonidou

We demonstrate an FPGA-based architecture integrating QKD with MACsec Key Agreement protocol to quantum-secure the Open-RAN Fronthaul. This includes a protocol for key synchronization in the MACsec control plane. A key rate of 1 key/sec was achieved providing high reliability for critical applications.