Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration of a Physical 5G Testbed

Abstract

The security of 5G networks relies heavily on cryptography, particularly public-key algorithms that are vulnerable to quantum computer attacks. With NIST now standardizing post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms, we investigate the practical challenges of PQC migration on a physical 5G testbed. Our testbed, built on OpenAirInterface, integrates essential 5G network components, including User Equipment (UE), Next Generation Node B (gNB) - the base stations for 5G - and core network with multiple functions. Within this environment, we migrated the Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI) protocol, enabling secure communication between UE and the core network. We deployed ML-KEM in SUCI, im..