A QoS-supported scheme for quantum key distribution

As a technology of providing different service qualities to the different applications/users, QoS is a research hotspot in communication field. For quantum key distribution (QKD) networks which provide unconditional security for distribution of cryptographic keys, its unique characteristics, like extreme quantum key resource constraint and the different time requirements of secure key distribution, pose unprecedented challenges for the QoS support in QKD networks. In this paper, a service model is presented firstly, which includes three service classes with different distribution time requirements: key-guaranteed service, key-prioritized service and key-best-effort service. Then, a QoS-supported scheme is proposed to support this service model. Particularly, Quantum Key Reservation Approach (QKRA) is designed to reserve quantum keys for the key-guaranteed service. The simulation is conducted to investigate the performance of this QoS-supported scheme.