Embracing the Quantum Economy 2024

Quantum computing technologies have immense potential in the ICT industry, and technologies such as quantum sensing and quantum communication can improve telecommunications infrastructure. The following use cases provide actionable guidance on strategic decision-making for adopting quantum technologies in the ICT sector: 1. To ensure robust and secure communication, it is essential to prioritize the implementation of PQC and QKD for defence in depth. Use case 10 highlights QKD for secure communications as the most valuable and feasible use case in the near term due to its ability to detect eavesdropping and secure data transmission. Combining QKD with PQC offers a comprehensive defence in depth solution. This dual approach enhances the security framework, making it a critical focus area for pilot deployment in ICT. Together, QKD and PQC can be provided as a service, ensuring a more resilient and secure communication infrastructure. Additionally, scaled quantum cryptography management (QCM) solutions should be implemented across ICT operations (use case 10). As cybersecurity threats increase, quantum cryptography can provide advanced protections for critical infrastructure, making it a strategic priority. 2. Investing in quantum sensing (QS) applications such as infrastructure inspection and data transmission reliability (use cases 4, 5 and 7) offers high business value and feasibility for pilot testing. These technologies have the potential to improve the precision and reliability of next-generation ICT infrastructure (e.g. 5G and IoT), and investment in these areas can enhance operational efficiency. 3. It is essential to develop PoCs for quantum computing use cases like optimization problems, which hold potential for solving complex computational challenges, such as network traffic management (use cases 1, 2 and 3). The focus should be on developing PoCs to assess scalability. This approach ensures ICT remains at the forefront of secure, scalable and efficient infrastructure development, and will allow the ICT industry to progress jointly with quantum technology. Embracing the Quantum Economy: A Pathway for Business Leaders 32