Post-Quantum Cryptography in the 5G Core

Abstract

In this work, the conventional cryptographic algorithms used in the 5G Core are replaced with post-quantum alternatives and the practical impact of this transition is evaluated. Using a simulation environment, we model the registration and deregistration of varying numbers of user equipments (UEs) and measure the resulting effects on bandwidth consumption and latency. Our results show that the deployment of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms has a measurable effect on performance, but that this effect is small, and perhaps more crucially, that the extra overhead needed in terms of computation and bandwidth does not have any substantial impact on the usability of the network and the efficiency of its network functions. Overall the experimental results in this work corroborate earlier research: the 5G Core is technically able to support post-quantum cryptography without any inherent issues connected to the increased computational overhead or larger message size.