At the 2023 Digital Technology Ecology Conference carrier China Telecom presented a modified version of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro with quantum security. This builds on work from last year when it unveiled a Mate 40E with Quantum SIM support.
The new Mate 60 Pro can secure voice calls (VoLTE), messages as well as file transfers. The way it works is that a Quantum Key Distribution algorithm generates a new key before you start a new secure call, then this key is shared with the recipient so that their phone can decode the call (or message or file, etc.). The users must use secure authentication first to verify their identity.
Security is ensured not just by the Quantum SIM card, there is also a custom chipset and the algorithm, which is a closely-guarded secret. The recipient must have similar hardware before the call/message/file goes through.
There is already a large user base, China Telecom announced that it has over 1 million users for its quantum-secured online chat. The service
Listen, we’re not physicists – we don’t know how much quantum physics and how much sci-fi marketing went into the Mate 60 Pro and Mate 40E with quantum security. Either way, more privacy and security features are appreciated.
There is no mention of how much the custom Huawei Mate 60 Pro with quantum security will cost or when it will be available.
