{"slug":"quantum-communication-crypto","topic":"quantum-communication-crypto","title":"Quantum Networks & Post-Quantum Cryptography: State of the Field (October 2026)","summary":"An expert briefing, current to 29 October 2026, on quantum key distribution (QKD), entanglement-based quantum networks and repeaters, and the migration to the NIST post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards ML-KEM, ML-DSA and SLH-DSA. The central takeaway is that PQC has become the standardized, mandated and already-deployed route to quantum-safe security: NIST's final transition report (IR 8547, dated 27 October 2026) is reported to set 2030 and 2035 milestones for quantum-vulnerable public-key algorithms, US federal policy reportedly directs the most sensitive systems toward PQC key establishment by the end of 2030, and hybrid ML-KEM key exchange is now an IETF standard for TLS 1.3. QKD keeps setting records (1,002 km of spooled fibre, a reported 254 km of commercial fibre, and a trusted-relay satellite key exchange), but long links still depend on trusted nodes, and a 2026 trapped-ion experiment held memory-to-memory entanglement over 10 km of fibre for the average time needed to create it.","version":1,"published_at":"2026-10-29","updated_at":"2026-10-29","stats":{"words":6420,"citations":108,"claims":27,"timeline":20,"benchmarks":19,"open_problems":11,"key_papers":15,"glossary":20},"verification":{"status":"verified","method":"automated figure and citation-relevance triage against cited abstracts, targeted AI review with web checks of flagged statements, and an editorial close-out removing statements sourced only to secondary coverage; automated citation resolution","claims_checked":27,"issues_fixed":6,"verified_at":"2026-10-30","notes":["Removed Executive Order 14412 / OMB M-26-15 deadline statements: they rested on conflicting secondary summaries and were cited to NIST IR 8547, which does not cover them.","NIST IR 8547 2030/2035 milestones are presented as reported transition targets."]},"ai_assisted":true,"price":{"usd":"0.20","protocol":"x402","network":"eip155:84532","asset":"USDC"},"url":"https://space-kitty.com/dossiers/quantum-communication-crypto","preview_url":"https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/quantum-communication-crypto/preview","purchase_url":"https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/quantum-communication-crypto","toc":[{"level":2,"text":"Executive summary","anchor":"executive-summary"},{"level":2,"text":"Background and core concepts","anchor":"background-and-core-concepts"},{"level":2,"text":"Timeline of key milestones","anchor":"timeline-of-key-milestones"},{"level":2,"text":"State of the art","anchor":"state-of-the-art"},{"level":3,"text":"Standards and the federal transition","anchor":"standards-and-the-federal-transition"},{"level":3,"text":"Protocol integration and measured deployment","anchor":"protocol-integration-and-measured-deployment"},{"level":3,"text":"Cryptanalysis and implementation security of PQC","anchor":"cryptanalysis-and-implementation-security-of-pqc"},{"level":3,"text":"QKD security in practice","anchor":"qkd-security-in-practice"},{"level":3,"text":"Fibre QKD: distance, rate and coexistence","anchor":"fibre-qkd-distance-rate-and-coexistence"},{"level":3,"text":"Free-space and satellite links","anchor":"free-space-and-satellite-links"},{"level":3,"text":"Entanglement networks, repeaters and DI-QKD","anchor":"entanglement-networks-repeaters-and-di-qkd"},{"level":3,"text":"Quantum threat: resource estimates","anchor":"quantum-threat-resource-estimates"},{"level":3,"text":"Quantitative benchmarks","anchor":"quantitative-benchmarks"},{"level":2,"text":"Open problems and active debates","anchor":"open-problems-and-active-debates"},{"level":2,"text":"Major programs and players","anchor":"major-programs-and-players"},{"level":2,"text":"Outlook: what to watch (November 2026 to April 2028)","anchor":"outlook-what-to-watch-november-2026-to-april-2028"},{"level":2,"text":"Key papers","anchor":"key-papers"},{"level":2,"text":"Glossary","anchor":"glossary"}],"sample_claims":["NIST published ML-KEM (FIPS 203), ML-DSA (FIPS 204) and SLH-DSA (FIPS 205) on 13 August 2024.","NIST's final transition report (IR 8547, dated 27 October 2026 on NIST's publication page) is reported to set 2030 deprecation and 2035 disallowance milestones for RSA, ECDSA, EdDSA and finite-field and elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman; these milestones were not confirmed against the report text, and whether the 2030 step extends beyond 112-bit parameter sets is unconfirmed."],"includes":["markdown","claims","timeline","benchmarks","open_problems","key_papers","glossary","bibliography"],"citation_count":108,"how_to_buy":"GET https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/quantum-communication-crypto with an x402 client ($0.20, USDC on Base Sepolia (testnet))."}