Cybersecurity is at a turning point. As the quantum age approaches, today’s encryption will not hold up against tomorrow’s attacks. Techniques like ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ are already in play, and the risk is growing for telecom operators, large enterprises and public infrastructure.

That’s why Sitehop teamed up with BT to run a breakthrough trial at one of the most advanced telecoms testing grounds in Europe.

 

A UK-first for quantum-safe encryption

BT granted Sitehop the first-ever external access to its flagship test and integration facility, a secure replica of its live network environment. This facility is normally reserved for BT’s own internal development, making the opportunity a rare and powerful endorsement of UK cybersecurity innovation.

“Supporting SMEs is vital for the UK’s economic growth and innovation,” said Peter Bell, Managing Director of International Business and Adastral Park at BT.

“As a national champion for the UK, a key mission for BT is to help our customers build stronger, smarter, more secure businesses. An important part of this is helping innovative domestic companies to enter the market, to support supply chain sovereignty and help businesses to grow.”

What we tested and what we proved

Our goal was to show that encryption built for a quantum-safe future doesn’t have to come at the cost of speed or scale. The results were clear:

• 90Gbps throughput
• 75% reduction in power consumption
• Minimal packet loss and improved latency
• Just two clicks to configure and deploy

This was a full proof of concept in a real-world environment. The trial proved that our SAFE Series hardware can run high-speed encryption with near-zero impact on performance, even in demanding telecom conditions.

“With the right support or partnerships and commercial models,” Peter Bell continued, “we see there is potential for BT’s test and integration facilities to serve as a ‘UK PLC’ test facility that accelerates mission-led, high Technology Readiness Level innovations, contributing to a sovereign and secure UK telecoms sector.”

Why it matters now

The UK Government has named quantum one of its six ‘frontier technologies’ for long-term economic growth. To build a quantum-enabled economy, we need telecom infrastructure that is not only fast and resilient, but quantum-secure by design.

“This is a big moment that validates UK sovereign innovation can play a central role in the country’s digital infrastructure,” said Melissa Chambers, founder and CEO of Sitehop.

“We’re proving networks don’t have to sacrifice performance for security.”

Our solution is already live with a Tier 1 carrier across seven countries. It’s based on open IPsec protocols to avoid vendor lock-in and built with crypto agility, meaning firmware can be upgraded remotely as standards evolve.

Safe To Connect

Following the successful trial, BT has granted Sitehop its Safe to Connect certification, a recognition designed to help UK companies prove their technologies are robust enough for live telecom environments. This certification is more than a badge. It acts as a trust signal to operators, enterprises and government buyers that Sitehop’s technology meets the security, performance and integration standards expected in critical national infrastructure. It also marks an important step toward lowering the barriers that often keep innovative smaller companies out of telecom supply chains.

Moving forward together

BT’s collaboration with Sitehop is a signal to the broader ecosystem: it is possible for large and small players to work together to secure the UK’s national digital backbone.

“The initiative reflects BT’s ambition to strengthen the UK’s digital backbone by supporting domestic innovators and lowering barriers to market entry for small businesses,” said BT.

“It exemplifies how large and small/medium organisations can collaborate to protect the country’s national infrastructure and accelerate the UK’s quantum-enabled economy.”

 

 

To find out more, email info@sitehop.com

Or call us on: +44 (0)114 478 2366

Sitehop.

Engineered for speed. Built for the future.