Long-term analysis of efficient-BB84 4-node network with optical switches in metropolitan environment

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16867v1
• Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2025 14:57:44 GMT
• Title: Long-term analysis of efficient-BB84 4-node network with optical switches in metropolitan environment
• Authors: Alberto De Toni, Edoardo Bortolozzo, Alessandro Emanuele, Marco Venturini, Luca Calderaro, Marco Avesani, Giuseppe Vallone, Paolo Villoresi,
• Abstract summary: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a leading technology for enabling information-theoretic secure communication.<n>In this work, we present an active QKD network in a production environment, employing efficient-BB84 and optical switching.
• Score: 32.505127447635864
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a leading technology for enabling information-theoretic secure communication, with protocols such as BB84 and its variants already deployed in practical field implementations. As QKD evolves from point-to-point links to multi-node networks, scalability and cost-effectiveness become central challenges. Among the approaches to address these issues, efficient-BB84 has shown durable and reliable performances, while optical switching techniques enable flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient integration of QKD into existing infrastructures. In this work, we present an active QKD network in a production environment, employing efficient-BB84 and optical switching, orchestrated in a coordinated manner, emphasizing their potential to support robust, future-proof quantum-secure communication systems.

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