There is a flip side to that promise. Sufficiently powerful quantum computers could compromise widely used public-key cryptography, creating a significant security challenge across organisations.

Solutions can be found in post-quantum cryptography, or quantum security which write algorithms capable of running on classical computer hardware that are secure against the computations possible in quantum computers.

As organisations prepare for the transition to quantum-safe security, we’re already helping clients assess risk, plan migration strategies and implement post-quantum cryptography in real-world systems. As an NCSC Assured Service Provider for PQC, we combine deep technical expertise with practical experience to help organisations build resilience against future quantum threats.

Find out more about our PQC approach, capabilities, latest insights and upcoming events.

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Quantum technologies are opening up new ways to measure, communicate and interact with the world around us, with emerging opportunities spanning sensing, communications, position, navigation and timing (PNT). Turning the promise of quantum physics into real-world capabilities requires a combination of quantum understanding and engineering realism.

In communications, the opportunity is evolving beyond individual technologies towards a broader vision for quantum networking. Quantum key distribution (QKD) remains part of this landscape, using the laws of quantum mechanics to protect data transmission. But future quantum networks could enable capabilities that cannot be achieved through conventional communications alone.

Putting that physics to work is hard. Realising practical quantum networks means overcoming challenges around scale, reliability, performance and integration with the wider communications infrastructure around them.

The same combination of quantum science and engineering is required in sensing applications. Quantum sensors could offer greater capabilities, but that is only part of the opportunity. New sensing technologies could also be more resilient, flexible and adaptable; they could become smaller, reach places existing sensors cannot, or detect things that couldn’t previously be measured.

Achieving this transformational leap in capability is far from straightforward. Developing practical quantum communications and sensing systems requires deep expertise in both the underlying physics and the engineering needed to deploy robust technologies in the real world.

Even more importantly, it requires understanding where these new capabilities address a genuine need. By combining knowledge of markets and applications with an understanding of emerging quantum technologies, we can identify where quantum could offer meaningful advantage, rather than applying quantum technology for its own sake.