Funders: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the UK-India Future Networks Initiative (UKI-FNI).
Duration: 2025-2025
Project Partners: London Digital Twin Research Centre (Middlesex University) (lead partner), Rakuten Symphony (UK), HCL (India), University of Glasgow, Shiv Nadar University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), and IIIT Hyderabad
Project Lead: Prof. Huan X. Nguyen (PI)
Other Co-Investigators: Dr Tuan Le, Dr Quoc Tuan Vien, Dr Purav Shah, and Dr Ramona Trestian and collaborators from other partners About the project
The future of wireless systems beyond 5G and 6G demands dynamic and adaptable architectures to support diverse applications with varying quality requirements, such as throughput, latency, and reliability. Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) offers the flexibility to orchestrate resources on demand but introduces increased complexity and an expanded attack surface, creating significant security challenges. The evolving threat landscape and lack of standardised security protocols amplify these vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for innovative solutions. This pilot project ‘Feasibility Study of Quantum-based Digital Twin Concept for Security Enhancement in OpenRAN (Q-DTRAN)‘ explores the concept of using Digital Twin (DT) technology to enhance the security of O-RAN systems for 6G networks. DTs replicate physical network components in a virtual environment, enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and optimisation without interfering with live systems. The project aims to study the challenges in real-time data handling and complex modelling of DTs and potential solution domain of integrating Quantum Computing (QC) into the DTs to optimise security configurations dynamically and efficiently. With a multidisciplinary consortium of UK and Indian partners, including the London Digital Twin Research Centre, Rakuten Symphony, HCL Technologies, and several leading universities, the project will investigate the feasibility of linking DT and QC concepts to address O-RAN security challenges and establish pathways for future implementation and validation on real-world testbeds.
Some selected activities: to be updated