Ciena, Toshiba Achieve 1.6 Tb/s Quantum-Safe Encryption Milestone on Live Network — Ciena Corporation

Event summary

Ciena, Toshiba, and Quantum Corridor completed a trial of 1.6 Tb/s quantum-safe optical encryption on a live commercial network in the Midwest US.
The trial validated hybrid security using NIST-certified PQC algorithms and Toshiba’s QKD technology on Ciena’s Waveserver platform.
Existing WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) 800G encrypted traffic ran simultaneously on the same network infrastructure.
The solution supports both PQC and QKD, offering flexibility for network operators to mitigate quantum computing threats.

The big picture

This milestone underscores the growing urgency for organizations to prepare for the post-quantum era as governments issue mandates for quantum-readiness. The trial demonstrates a practical migration path without requiring wholesale infrastructure replacement, addressing concerns about 'harvest now, decrypt later' attacks. The collaboration between Ciena, Toshiba, and Quantum Corridor highlights the strategic importance of hybrid security approaches in protecting critical data against emerging quantum computing threats.

What we're watching

Adoption Pace: How quickly enterprises and service providers will migrate to quantum-safe networking solutions given the hybrid approach demonstrated.
Regulatory Compliance: Whether global mandates for NIST-approved PQC standards will accelerate deployment of these technologies across critical infrastructure.
Competitive Dynamics: The pace at which competitors develop similar high-speed quantum-safe encryption capabilities to challenge Ciena’s leadership in optical networking.