Quantum communications harness quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement to enhance information transfer between remote nodes. The key benefits of these techniques are the ability to be able to detect if communications have been intercepted or modified en-route. Which makes these techniques ideal for highly sensitive data interchange.
GÉANT, Toshiba Europe limited, PSNC and the Anglia Ruskin University came together to work on the first major in-the-field demonstration of practical quantum communications using telecoms standard equipment and infrastructure.
The experiment was conducted in Germany, with access to the network infrastructure provided by GÉANT. Communication was established over a link spanning 253.9 km between Frankfurt and Kehl with a 56.0 dB loss and a relay in Kirchfeld, approximately three-fifths of the way. Employing the Twin Field Quantum Key Distribution protocol, a key distribution rate of 110 bit/s over 254 km was achieved.
This study marks the first successful integration of coherent quantum communications within a commercial telecom infrastructure outside of dedicated metro systems. For more information visit network.geant.org
This article was first published by GÉANT
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