Future of Technology: SK Broadband Succeeds in Real-Time Transmission of Drone 4K Video

SK Broadband recently announced its industry-first success in real-time transmission of Drone 4K Video utilizing quantum security technology.

The company has secured a solution that can safely investigate and verify sites in extreme areas, where access by humans or ground robots is challenging, without the risk of data hacking. It is expected to be widely utilized across various industries, including defense and the environment.

SK Broadband explained that it formed a consortium with SK Telecom and a domestic small enterprise, FineVT (a drone manufacturer), and completed a demonstration of real-time transmission of 4K encrypted video shot by a drone in Antarctica in February this year.

This is part of the Quantum Technology Commercialization Discovery and Demonstration Project, which has been led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) since June. This project is a national task to develop technologies, equipment, and services that apply the principles of quantum technology, such as quantum security technology, quantum sensing, and quantum computing.

The Antarctic demonstration was carried out using drone shooting and exploring the ecological environment around Sejong Base. The ability to transmit encrypted 4K video shot by a drone equipped with quantum security technology in real-time raises expectations for expansion into other industrial fields. In particular, its utility is expected to be high in defense and public security areas where identification, location tracking, and security are key.

SK Broadband explained that it had strengthened security by acquiring certification for the National Intelligence Service’s Cryptographic Module Validation Program (KCMVP) in collaboration with security company KCS before this demonstration and installing a quantum encryption chip.

SK Broadband has been leading in quantum security technology by collaborating with SK Telecom and was selected as the top business operator for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 in national tasks related to quantum technology. It has been conducting a project to apply quantum security technology to the public network in Singapore in collaboration with SingTel, a state-owned telecommunications company in Singapore, since last year. The company plans to continue to enhance quantum technology through cooperation with domestic small enterprises and establish commercialization in various public, private, and overseas sectors.

Choi Seung Won, in charge of SK Broadband’s ICT Infra, stated, “Through the second year of the national project, we will strengthen support for commercialization by discovering and upgrading various application services based on quantum technology.” He added, “In the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, not only for national agencies but also for public, medical, financial, and various other fields that need optimal security services, we will lead in developing technology and providing solutions tailored to them.”

Meanwhile, since July last year, SK Broadband has been the first in Korea to provide a customized dedicated line service for customers by utilizing the advantages of two quantum security technologies: quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC).