The unveiling of the quantumStadium project. Left to Right: Mr A. Mirza (CQT), eThekwini Mayor Councillor Obed Mlaba, Prof. F. Petruccione (CQT), Minister of Science and Technology Ms N. Pandor, Premier of KZN Dr. Z L Mkhize, Prof R. Soltow

MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR LAUNCHES  DURBAN  QUANTUM STADIUM PROJECT

The University of KwaZulu-Natal Launched the Durban QuantumStadium Project on Friday, 21st May at 17h00 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. The project was launched by Minister of Science and Technology Ms Naledi Pandor.

Visit: http://http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1217593/

UKZN Research Group secures communication for the 2010 World Cup

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - The eThekwini Municipality and the Centre for Quantum Technology (CQT), a research group of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), have partnered to provide an ultra high-level security system between one of the most crucial links of Durban’s ICT FIFA initiatives. The quantumStadium project uses quantum mechanical methods to distribute ultra secure encryption keys. It is the first public global event to use a quantum based encryption solution.

Building on the quantumCity initiative, the eThekwini Municipality and the Centre for Quantum Technology, a research group of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), has moved to secure the network linking the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the Joint Operation Centre in the city of Durban during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The project uses the award-winning Cerberis hybrid quantum encryption solution developed jointly by Australia's Senetas Corporation and Geneva-based idQuantique.  The layer 2 encryption process uses an AES encryption scheme, but features a quantum-based key distribution system to provide ultra high data security, including telephone, internet, video, data and email traffic travelling across the fibre optic link at up to 1 Gigabit per second.

The quantumStadium project is the first public global event to use a quantum based encryption solution. This network carries voice, email and data traffic between the two buildings. It was installed in April 2010 and will at least run until the end of the FIFA World Cup.

Professor Francesco Petruccione, Head of the CQT, states, “South Africa has the potential to lead Africa through advancements in Science and Technology. Global milestones, such as the quantumStadium project, entrench us as world-class players in research and development”.

The quantumStadium project extends the quantumCity initiative aimed at providing quantum based communication security within the eThekwini’s optical fibre optic network. Since 2008, the City of Durban has been positioned to become the Smart City of Africa. This vision includes the development of an optical fibre communication backbone to provide citizens with e-services such as online learning, health advice, internet business solutions, public sector productivity tools and surveillance. These facilities increases the dependence on online communication and therefore the quantumCity was proposed to enhance this experience with cutting edge communication security solutions.

City Manager, Dr Michael Sutcliffe, believes that quantum information and communication technology will not only boost the transformation of the Municipality into a high-tech information-driven organization, but also turn Durban into an incubator for future technologies.

According to Mr Abdul Mirza, a physicist at the Centre for Quantum Technology, using quantum cryptography would ensure that Durban has the most technologically advanced method of communication security. “Quantum cryptography shifts the security basis away from algorithmic procedures to a physical process bound by the laws of physical science. Conventional cryptography uses algorithms to encrypt data. This however must intrinsically be a reversible process and therefore advancements in mathematics and computing power always remain a threat to these implementations.  Quantum cryptography encodes the secure key within the physical properties of quantum particles, therefore any unauthorized individual would have to defy the laws of physics to extract the key unnoticed,” said Mr Mirza.

The advancements in quantum computing and communication undertaken by scientists at the Centre for Quantum Technology had impressed the National Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor. Responding to these achievements, Mrs Pandor said: “I’m excited by the quality and innovative research that has developed at UKZN. It’s encouraging to note that government’s call to increase innovative research in science and technology at universities is being acted on.”

The City's vision is to extend this solution to the private sector, in turn transforming Durban from Africa’s Smart City to the world's first quantum city.