5G smartphone equipped with a Quantum Random Number Generator

5G smartphone equipped with a Quantum Random Number Generator

1 June 2020

QRANGE project partner ID Quantique has announced that its newest Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) chip has been integrated in the ‘Galaxy A Quantum’, a custom edition of the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G smartphone commercialised by SK Telecom to protect its customers’ most valuable information.

Generating strong keys from a reliable entropy source is the cornerstone of any security system. Quantum-based technologies rely on quantum random number generators (QRNGs) for securing the communications on telecommunication networks, since these generators have proven to maintain this security at the highest level possible.

The QRANG​E project of the Quantum Flagship was launched with the aim of pushing the QRNG technology further, allowing for a wide range of commercial applications of QRNG. Now, almost two years after the project has started, ID Quantique, a partner of QRANGE, has achieved a major goal in the commercialisation of quantum-based technologies.

Most recently, they have partnered with Samsung and SK Telecom to release a custom edition of the Galaxy A71 5G – the Galaxy A Quantum, the world’s first QRNG-powered 5G smartphone – which will feature a Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), this advanced security tool designed to protect end-user’s sensitive information.

ID Quantique was the first company to develop a QRNGs in 2001. Now, its new Quantis QRNG chip (IDQ250C2) is the first device designed and manufactured specifically for mobile handsets. It generates provably unbiased and unpredictable randomness with high entropy from the very first bit from the shot noise of a light source captured by a CMOS image sensor.

The release of the Galaxy A Quantum carries a significant meaning as it enables individual consumers to experience the benefits of quantum security technologies in their everyday lives. This QRNG chipset allows smartphone holders to use selected services in a safe and secure manner by generating true random numbers that cannot be hacked. It delivers a unique differentiation by providing a much higher level of trust to the users, and is the basis for new revenue streams especially in combination with e-sim and quantum secured data centers.

“With its compact size and low power consumption, our latest Quantis QRNG chip can be embedded in any smartphone, edge and IoT devices, to ensure trusted authentication and encryption of sensitive information.” mentions Grégoire Ribordy, CEO and co-founder of ID Quantique. “Using a Quantum Random Generator at the edge is a first step to make wireless and IoT ecosystems quantum-safe and prepare for the quantum computing age. Securing smartphones and IoT devices is a top priority for many manufacturers.”