Satellite-to-ground QKD Feasibility Analysis for High Altitude Rural Areas: A Case Study in Greece

This paper is focused on the QKD deployment options for mountain communities based on LEO satellite-to-ground downlinks. The satellite QKD usecase for Vovousa village in Zagori is considered in this paper, providing simulation results for infrastructure deployment options that can support the implementation of LEO satellite DS-BB84 QKD protocol. SKR analysis is provided using an already available key rate calculator, allowing for up to 50kbps key rates with 1.2m receiver apertures in OGS. The use of small sized-OGS as the receiver located in village is also explored, showing ~3kbps SKR.