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Appendix 12 · Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD

From the book: Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics – Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography

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Content of this appendix

Appendix 12 · Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD

This appendix compares QKD, RKD, and MKD by deployment simplicity rather than by theoretical security alone. It asks what components, infrastructure, vendor dependencies, and operational procedures are needed before a method can provide usable protection in practice.

For QKD, the appendix highlights expensive endpoints, encryption units, compatible QKD technologies, fiber infrastructure, trusted nodes for longer distances, and satellite or ground-station complexity. It also notes strong manufacturer dependence because standardization and interoperability remain limited in many practical settings.

RKD is described as lighter and less expensive because it uses radio communication and compact endpoints, but it is constrained by range and available products. MKD avoids communication infrastructure by transporting storage media physically, which simplifies some technical aspects while shifting responsibility to media selection, logistics software, secure transport, and chain-of-custody processes.

  • Compares deployment complexity across QKD, RKD, and MKD
  • Highlights QKD infrastructure and vendor dependence
  • Explains RKD's low-cost but range-limited profile
  • Shows how MKD replaces network infrastructure with logistics
  • Supports practical planning for full deployment

Suggested citation

Reference in IEEE style

E. Piller and H. Schölnast, “Appendix 12: Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD,” author-maintained supplementary material for Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics: Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://cryptography.study/phys/deploy/.

Reference in ACM style

Ernst Piller and Hubert Schölnast. 2026. Appendix 12: Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD. Author-maintained supplementary material for Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics: Comparing Physical Methods of Cryptography. https://cryptography.study/phys/deploy/

BibTeX entry 
@misc{piller_schoelnast_2026_appendix_12_deployment_analysis,
  title        = {Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD},
  author       = {Ernst Piller and Hubert Schölnast},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Author-maintained supplementary material for Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics},
  url          = {https://cryptography.study/phys/deploy/},
  note         = {Related book DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3},
  language     = {en}
}
RIS entry 
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TI  - Deployment Analysis of QKD, RKD, and MKD
T2  - Author-maintained supplementary material for Data Encryption at the Intersection of Mathematics and Physics
AU  - Piller, Ernst
AU  - Schölnast, Hubert
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://cryptography.study/phys/deploy/
N1  - Related book DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-24764-3
LA  - en
ER  -
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