Quantum Secure 5G/B5G Core, QORE, Enables Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography for Future Networks

The increasing power of quantum computers poses a significant threat to the cryptographic systems that underpin modern telecommunications, particularly the security of 5G networks. Vipin Rathi from Ramanujan College, University of Delhi, and Lakshya Chopra, Rudraksh Rawal, et al. from coRAN Labs Private Limited, address this challenge with the development of QORE, a novel framework designed to secure 5G and future Beyond 5G (B5G) networks against attacks from quantum computers. This research introduces a clear pathway for transitioning core network functions and user equipment to post-quantum cryptography, utilising NIST-standardised lattice-based algorithms and applying them across the 5G Service-Based Architecture. By demonstrating both security and minimal performance overhead with these new algorithms, QORE offers a practical roadmap for mitigating quantum-era risks and safeguarding the long-term confidentiality and integrity of network data, aligning with ongoing international standardisation efforts.

This work introduces QORE, a quantum-secure 5G/B5G Core framework that provides a clear pathway for transitioning both the 5G Core Network Functions and User Equipment (UE) to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The framework utilizes NIST-standardized lattice-based algorithms, Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) and Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA), and applies them across the 5G Service-Based Architecture. A Hybrid PQC (HPQC) configuration is also proposed, offering a practical approach to implementation and enhanced security.
G Core Networks Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography

The research team engineered a comprehensive framework, QORE, to transition 5G core networks to post-quantum cryptography, addressing vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing’s potential to break current encryption standards. This work centers on securing inter-functional channels, specifically IPsec tunnels over the N2 and N3 interfaces and TLS 1. 3 protected Service Based Interfaces (SBI), within the 5G architecture. The study pioneered the implementation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-standardized lattice-based algorithms, namely Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) for key encapsulation and Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA) for digital signatures, directly within the 5G Service-Based Architecture.

To validate this transition, scientists developed a hybrid Post-Quantum Cryptography (HPQC) configuration, strategically combining traditional Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) with the newly implemented ML-KEM and ML-DSA algorithms. This hybrid approach ensures continued interoperability during the migration process and minimizes disruption to existing network infrastructure. The team meticulously integrated these algorithms into the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, replacing vulnerable components with quantum-resistant alternatives while maintaining the integrity, privacy, and authentication features essential for secure data transfer. Experiments employed TLS 1.

3, utilizing ML-KEM for key exchange and ML-DSA for digital signatures, to secure communication channels within the 5G core network. The research demonstrates that ML-KEM achieves robust security with minimal performance overhead, meeting the stringent low-latency and high-throughput requirements of carrier-grade 5G systems. Furthermore, the study validated the approach by adapting Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) for UDP-based communication, securing latency-sensitive 5G control plane signaling. This meticulous integration and thorough testing demonstrate the practical viability of transitioning 5G networks to a post-quantum security posture.

QORE Secures 5G Against Quantum Threats

The research team has developed QORE, a framework designed to secure 5G and future 5G networks against emerging threats from quantum computers. Recognizing the vulnerability of current cryptographic standards like RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography to attacks enabled by quantum computers, the team focused on integrating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) into the 5G core network. QORE utilizes NIST-standardized lattice-based algorithms, specifically the Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) and Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA), across the 5G Service-Based Architecture. A hybrid approach, combining classical and PQC primitives, is also proposed to ensure continued interoperability during the transition to fully quantum-resistant systems.

Using a platform with an Intel i9 processor and NVIDIA A4000 GPU, the team measured a key generation rate of 3. 16 million keys per second with ML-KEM-512 when utilizing GPU acceleration. The recommended security level, ML-KEM-768, maintains a high throughput of 236,000 key generations per second, providing security equivalent to AES-192. This represents a 2. 4times performance improvement over classical X25519, while offering superior quantum resistance.

Further analysis of signature performance reveals that ML-DSA-44 achieves 250,000 signatures per second, adequate for typical communication rates, with verification operations reaching 1. 15 million per second. Implementation of ML-KEM and ML-DSA adds only 30-50 KB of extra memory per connection, a negligible amount in modern virtualized network environments. The team also measured an additional latency of 8-12 milliseconds for PQ-TLS handshakes, representing a modest 20-30% increase for 5GC control-plane transactions, while user-plane traffic remains unaffected. Scalability tests confirm that a single core can initiate over 50,000 PQ-TLS sessions per second, and OAuth token verification achieves 1. 15 million operations per second, supporting millions of concurrent service requests. The team’s implementation sustains IPsec throughput between 10 and 40 Gbps per core, meeting the bandwidth requirements of 5G user-plane traffic.
G Core Networks Transition to Quantum Safety

The research team has developed QORE, a practical framework designed to integrate post-quantum cryptography into existing 5G Core networks, thereby safeguarding them against future quantum computing threats. QORE facilitates a seamless transition from current cryptographic protocols to quantum-resistant alternatives while maintaining network architecture and performance levels. This work establishes a blueprint for network operators and researchers planning their own migrations to quantum-safe systems, offering a platform for testing strategies and validating security assumptions. Detailed analysis demonstrates how critical security protocols, including TLS, IPsec, mTLS, and OAuth2.

0, can be redesigned using NIST-standardized lattice-based algorithms, specifically ML-KEM and ML-DSA, to replace vulnerable RSA and ECC primitives. The team implemented a hybrid PQC model within QORE, ensuring both a smooth transition and backwards compatibility with existing 5G systems, maintaining interoperability and trust. Extensive evaluations reveal that these lattice-based algorithms not only meet but occasionally exceed the performance demands of carrier-grade infrastructure, achieving key exchange rates exceeding 200,000 operations per second and verifying over one million signatures per second with GPU acceleration. The authors acknowledge that further evaluation across additional 5G Core platforms is planned to broaden the scope of comparative performance studies and interoperability testing. This research directly addresses the emerging threat of “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks, protecting sensitive long-lived data and demonstrates that deploying PQC within real 5G environments introduces only minimal latency overhead.