Cisco is testing an Aliro-powered quantum network management layer for a live entanglement-based quantum key distribution (eQKD) network built on zerothird’s eQKD system, the latest quantum-focused trial by the networking giant.

The test is using Aliro’s Orchestrator to operate and manage the zerothird system. The network is using “commercially available, rack-mountable hardware” and integrates the “BBM92” entanglement-based eQKD protocol to provide keys to Cisco routers via the Cisco Secure Key Integration Protocol (SKIP) interface.

Aliro describes the BBM92 protocol as leveraging “principles of quantum entanglement to establish secret keys between two parties. … In BBM92, an entanglement source emits pairs of entangled qubits where each party receives one qubit of the pair.”

Zerothird’s system includes its entanglement-based key generation system for the demonstration, including the BBM92 end nodes, entanglement-distribution link, and on-device key-generation stack. That stack includes sifting, polarization alignment and tracking, clock synchronization, error correction, and privacy amplification.

The Cisco test, which is being conducted at its Photonics Center in Italy, uses telemetry provided by the zerothird system to “monitor eavesdropper detection, quantum bit error rate (QBER), key generation rates, photon detection statistics, polarization drift, and link and device health, providing continuous visibility into conditions that indicate service integrity or degradation.”

“When metrics cross defined thresholds, the Orchestrator's Alerts & Alarms engine raises security and operational events and can trigger automated remediation workflows, including recalibration, traffic rerouting, or safe link shutdown,” the firm noted. “All of these events are logged with timestamps, creating an auditable record of quantum network operations. Delivering these capabilities to network operators can bridge the gap from research-grade demonstrations to commercial network security services.”

Quantum-derived keys are provided at the application layer to the Cisco 8000-Series routers using the SKIP interface to support live quantum secure MACsec encrypted sessions between routers. This highlights the potential integration of QKD-sourced keys with production data center networking equipment.

“Achieving true quantum-safe security requires a comprehensive, full-stack approach that integrates both hardware and software,” Maurizio Gazzola, senior director for optical architecture at Cisco, noted in a statement. “By leveraging the Aliro quantum orchestrator to manage the interaction between third-party QKD hardware and our Cisco 8000 series routers via the SKIP protocol, we are demonstrating seamless, field-ready interoperability.”

QKD gains quantum momentum

As highlighted by our recent “SDxCentral Quantum Supplement,” QKD is increasingly being looked at as a way to produce and distribute cryptographic keys to secure critical data.

QKD uses the quantum state of photons to generate symmetric keys. If an attacker taps the fiber, the quantum state collapses, and interception is detected in real time. This is different from post-quantum cryptography (PQC) that strengthens the mathematics of cryptography, with QKD positioned as strengthening the physical medium through which data travels.

The latest test extends Cisco’s push into the quantum networking space, including long-standing work with QKD. Cisco’s most recent work is through partnerships with IBM, Qunnect, and Atom Computing, as it looks to builds out an end-to-end framework for quantum networking.

AT&T also recently tapped Cisco to power a “quantum resilient” SD-WAN service that the carrier plans to launch later this year. The as-named Quantum Resilient SD-WAN service will offer PQC running on Cisco’s 8000 Series Secure Router platform, providing quantum resilient encryption, authentication, and secure boot capabilities, with PQC adhering to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards.

Cisco also recently unveiled a prototype quantum switch designed to route and convert quantum information between systems built on different encoding approaches, a step toward more interoperable quantum networks. The company positions the technology as part of a broader push toward distributed quantum computing, where multiple quantum systems are networked together rather than operating as isolated machines.