Exploring Post-Quantum Cryptographic Schemes for TLS in 5G Nb-IoT: Feasibility and Recommendations

Abstract: Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a wireless communication technology that enables a wide range of applications, from smart cities to industrial automation. As a part of the 5G extension, NB-IoT promises to connect billions of devices with low-power and low-cost requirements. However, with the advent of quantum computers, the incoming NB-IoT era is already under threat by these devices, which might break the conventional cryptographic algorithms that can be adapted to secure NB-IoT devices on large scale. In this context, we investigate the feasibility of using post-quantum key exchange and signature algorithms for securing NB-IoT applications. We develop a realistic ns-3 environment to represent the characteristics of NB-IoT networks and analyze the usage of post-quantum algorithms to secure communication. Our findings suggest that using NIST-selected post-quantum key-exchange protocol Kyber does not introduce significant overhead, but post-quantum signature schemes can result in impractical latency times and lower throughputs