QKD Impact on Optical System and PQC Solution - BRKOPT-3086#

Speakers: Maurizio Gazzola (Cisco)

• Why: Sits at the junction of optics and security: what hosting quantum key distribution channels would actually mean for optical transport design, and how that trade-off plays against post-quantum cryptography.
• What: The system-level implications for an optical transport network of hosting quantum channels (QKD), and an overview of Cisco's strategy favoring PQC. (from abstract only)
• How: Examines what co-hosting QKD requires of the optical layer (wavelength planning, attenuation budgets, coexistence with high-speed data channels), implicitly comparing that cost/complexity against a software-based PQC migration path.
• Where applicable: Optical transport operators and DCI planners weighing long-term cryptographic risk; the abstract is thin, so treat this as a strategy overview rather than a deep design session. Relevant background for the PMI's network-security + optics intersection, but not a working guide.