Quantum Revolution in Mobile Communications: Telefonica and AWS Pave the Way for the Future

Telefonica Germany and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are launching a pilot project to test the use of quantum technologies in the telecommunications company's mobile network. This initiative aims to calculate the optimal positioning of cell towers, secure the network with quantum encryption, and gain valuable insights for the development of 6G networks. The race for quantum computers is in full swing. Technology giants are trying to develop machines that utilize the principles of quantum mechanics to achieve significantly faster speeds than conventional silicon-based computers. While researchers speculate on when quantum computers will become a reality, they agree that they could crack the codes that protect nearly all modern forms of communication. Antia Lamas-Linares, senior scientist at AWS, emphasizes the urgency: "If you wait until quantum computers are a reality, it's too late. You have to work with prototypes now." Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer at O2 Telefonica, confirms this approach and states: "We are creating the necessary conditions today to utilize quantum technologies and their capabilities in our network." Another step in this direction was Telefonica's announcement to move one million 5G customers to the AWS cloud. Rao reports positive results in terms of performance and plans to migrate another million customers within the next six months. The ambitious goal: three to four million customers in the next 12 to 18 months.