Quantum-Safe Layer 1 and Ethernet Encryption for Critical Infrastructure Networks

Adva Network Security GmbH is a German manufacturer of encryption technology for high-speed transport networks, serving critical infrastructure operators, government and defense agencies, research and science networks, energy utilities, and financial institutions. The company was established in 2022 as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary operating under a zero-trust model after ADVA Optical Networking joined the Adtran Group, though its security engineering lineage runs back to the first AES-256 10Gbit/s optical encryption solution it shipped in 2010.

The core technology, branded ConnectGuard, embeds encryption directly into transport hardware rather than bolting on separate security appliances. On the Adtran FSP 3000 DWDM platform it encrypts optical channels at Layer 1 with AES-256 at line rate, using auxiliary channels for key exchange and management so user traffic retains full throughput; the FSP 150-XG118Pro (CSH) applies the same approach to encrypted 10Gbit/s Ethernet access. Key exchange is crypto-agile, pairing classical Diffie-Hellman with post-quantum algorithms, and systems can be upgraded with quantum key distribution devices through a standardized key-delivery API.

Government certification is the clearest differentiator: the optical encryption solution holds NIST FIPS 140-2 Security Level 2 validation and German Federal Office for Information Security approval for data classified up to VS-NfD and NATO Restricted, with optical transport cleared to NATO Confidential. Quantum-safe research dates to 2015 with live-network field trials from 2018, and the firm led the BMBF-funded DE-QOR CV-QKD project. A Security Director management layer automates crypto pairing, secrets rotation and NIS2/ISO 27001 compliance checks, alongside managed SOC and penetration testing services.