Submitter's message Dear IP-NNI Working Group,
I wanted to raise awareness of an issue that I believe merits attention of IP-NNI in the near term: the preparedness of STIR/SHAKEN for an eventual transition to post-quantum cryptography.
In my view, the timing for this work is immediate, if it is not already underway within IP-NNI or another relevant forum. Even if large-scale deployment of post-quantum solutions for STIR/SHAKEN may be some years away, the time required for study, standards development, industry alignment, implementation, interoperability testing, and deployment across operational networks is likely to be significant. For that reason, it would seem prudent to begin this activity as early as possible.
I have prepared a short study paper that outlines my current understanding of some of the implementation challenges associated with adapting STIR/SHAKEN to be quantum safe in the future. The paper considers the characteristics of the current STIR/SHAKEN architecture, including the PASSporT signature mechanism carried in the SIP INVITE, SIP transport and size constraints, and the likely coexistence challenges during any transitional period in which legacy and post-quantum-capable solutions would need to interoperate.
The paper also outlines several possible migration approaches, each with its own potential advantages and drawbacks. These options are not intended as suggested implementations or proposed standards outcomes, but rather as examples to help illustrate the technical problems and engineering tradeoffs that may need to be addressed when considering how post-quantum cryptography could be incorporated into the STIR/SHAKEN architecture.
My hope is that this material may be useful in supporting the group’s continued work to evolve STIR/SHAKEN and in helping to frame whether a formal study item may now be appropriate.
I would also be very happy to provide a short overview of the report to the group, and to share some related observations on work being undertaken in the ATIS Quantum Safe Communications and Information Initiative (QSCII) , as well as other telecom standards activities concerning the migration of classical cryptographic algorithms toward quantum-safe implementations.
Thank you for your consideration, and I hope the paper is helpful to the group’s ongoing work.
Best regards, Ian Deakin - ATIS
-- Ian Deakin
Document Name: IPNNI-2026-00032R000.docx
Description
STIR/SHAKEN Preparedness for a Post-Quantum Transition
Technical Study Topic: Post-Quantum Impact on Caller Identity Assurance
Integrity
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Submitter: Ian Deakin
Group: ATIS/SIP Forum IP-NNI Task Force
Folder: 2026
Date submitted: 2026-03-26 10:37:35
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Ian Deakin
Principal Technologist
+1202 434 8823
ideakin@atis.org---------------------------------