Post-Quantum Cryptography Integration Into the Future Mobile Core: A Service-Based Architecture Perspective

As mobile networks evolve toward future disaggregated architectures and 6G systems, quantum computing poses an existential threat to the current cryptographic foundations underpinning Service-Based Architecture (SBA) deployments. This paper presents a standards-driven analysis of integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into future mobile core networks, directly informing ongoing NIST, IETF, and 3GPP standardization efforts. We examine current security specifications and identify critical vulnerabilities in SBA interfaces that are susceptible to “harvest-now, decrypt-later” attacks. Our framework maps PQC algorithm recommendations to existing standards clauses, proposing concrete specification updates for future release adoption. We assess the impact of standardization by validating the performance of NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms across representative SBA interfaces, demonstrating that quantum-safe migrations can meet operational requirements for future mobile cores. Experimental results indicate that selected post-quantum configurations deliver acceptable performance for control-plane functions, supporting edge-cloud continuum deployments. We present a standards migration roadmap that addresses PKI lifecycle management, inter-operator security protocols, and coordination requirements between standards bodies.