Advancing 6G Ultra-Low-Latency Communications with the Quantum Burst Protocol and Stateless, Quantum-Lite Encryption

Advancing 6G Ultra-Low-Latency Communications with the Quantum Burst Protocol and Stateless, Quantum-Lite Encryption | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Advancing 6G Ultra-Low-Latency Communications with the Quantum Burst Protocol and Stateless, Quantum-Lite Encryption Victoria Mellor This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9260723/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The transition to sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks demands cryptographic frameworks that simultaneously satisfy sub-millisecond latency constraints and resilience against quantum-capable adversaries; requirements that neither conventional quantum key distribution (QKD) nor emerging post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) schemes adequately address in isolation. This paper presents the Quantum Burst Protocol (QBP), a novel quantum-lite encryption scheme that replaces traditional two-way QKD handshakes with stateless, one-way quantum entropy bursts, enabling submillisecond secure communication between mobile and edge devices with minimal quantum hardware (2-3 qubits). QBP introduces three principal innovations: (i)~stateless operation via transient quantum entropy extraction, eliminating continuous channel negotiation; (ii)~ephemeral key derivation through domain-separated one-way hash functions, providing built-in forward secrecy and resistance to harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks; and (iii)~optional quantum-authenticatable message tagging for integrity verification. I present a comprehensive protocol specification encompassing system architecture, cryptographic design, and formal security proofs under quantum adversary models. Performance evaluation demonstrates end-to-end latency of 0.15-0.20,ms, well within 6G thresholds. A rigorous comparative analysis against QKD (BB84, E91) and NIST-standardised PQC algorithms (ML-KEM, ML-DSA) reveals that QBP uniquely occupies a design space combining quantum-derived entropy strength with symmetric-key efficiency. I further discuss deployment considerations for edge, IoT, and non-terrestrial network scenarios, and outline a roadmap for experimental validation on constrained 6G-class hardware. Quantum cryptography 6G networks Post-quantum security Ultra-low latency communication Quantum entropy Stateless protocol Forward secrecy Edge computing Ephemeral key derivation Internet of Things Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 23 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 09 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 29 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9260723","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":628562507,"identity":"e410b9aa-5708-48b8-b620-404c8d90277f","order_by":0,"name":"Victoria Mellor","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Portsmouth","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Victoria","middleName":"","lastName":"Mellor","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-29 19:38:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9260723/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9260723/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108490784,"identity":"9af3ea40-a448-44fc-9de9-983ba83dcaa4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 09:48:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":216551,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"v5QBP1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9260723/v1_covered_70c777d2-89c5-4951-99e1-b3fc07467694.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Advancing 6G Ultra-Low-Latency Communications with the Quantum Burst Protocol and Stateless, Quantum-Lite Encryption","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-quantum-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Quantum Science](https://link.springer.com/journal/44464)","snPcode":"44464","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44464/3","title":"Discover Quantum Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Open","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Quantum cryptography, 6G networks, Post-quantum security, Ultra-low latency communication, Quantum entropy, Stateless protocol, Forward secrecy, Edge computing, Ephemeral key derivation, Internet of Things","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9260723/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9260723/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The transition to sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks demands cryptographic frameworks that simultaneously satisfy sub-millisecond latency constraints and resilience against quantum-capable adversaries; requirements that neither conventional quantum key distribution (QKD) nor emerging post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) schemes adequately address in isolation. This paper presents the Quantum Burst Protocol (QBP), a novel quantum-lite encryption scheme that replaces traditional two-way QKD handshakes with stateless, one-way quantum entropy bursts, enabling submillisecond secure communication between mobile and edge devices with minimal quantum hardware (2-3 qubits). QBP introduces three principal innovations: (i)~stateless operation via transient quantum entropy extraction, eliminating continuous channel negotiation; (ii)~ephemeral key derivation through domain-separated one-way hash functions, providing built-in forward secrecy and resistance to harvest-now-decrypt-later attacks; and (iii)~optional quantum-authenticatable message tagging for integrity verification. I present a comprehensive protocol specification encompassing system architecture, cryptographic design, and formal security proofs under quantum adversary models. Performance evaluation demonstrates end-to-end latency of 0.15-0.20\\,ms, well within 6G thresholds. 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