First quantum network video call
Researchers in the UK have demonstrated a long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK’s first long-distance video call.
The team, from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, created the network using standard fibreoptic infrastructure between the two cities, a distance of 410km. This is part of UK’s Quantum Network (UKQN), established over the last decade by the researchers.
The network uses two types of quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes: encryption keys hidden inside particles of light; and distributed entanglement with photons intrinsically linked. This is the first time that a long-distance network, encompassing different quantum-secure technologies such as entanglement distribution, has been successfully demonstrated.
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The UK researchers demonstrated the capabilities of the network via a live, quantum-secure video conference link, the transfer of encrypted medical data, and secure remote access to a distributed data centre.
The UKQN covers two metropolitan quantum networks around Bristol and Cambridge, which are connected via a ‘backbone’ of four long-distance optical fibre links spanning 410 kilometres with three intermediate nodes.
This uses single-mode fibre over the EPSRC National Dark Fibre Facility and low-loss optical switches allowing network reconfiguration of both classical and quantum signal traffic.
Other researchers around the world have been racing to build and use quantum communication networks. China recently set up a massive network that covers 4,600 kilometres by connecting five cities using both fibreoptics and satellites. In Madrid, researchers created a smaller network with nine connection points that use different types of QKD to securely share information.
In 2019, researchers at Cambridge and Toshiba demonstrated a metro scale quantum network operating at record key rates of millions of key bits per second. And in 2020, researchers in Bristol built a network that could share entanglement between multiple users. Similar quantum network trials have been demonstrated in Singapore, Italy and the USA.
Despite this progress, no one has built a large, long-distance network that can handle both types of QKD, entanglement distribution, and regular data transmission all at once, until now.
“This is a crucial step toward building a quantum-secured future for our communities and society,” said Dr Rui Wang, Lecturer for Future Optical Networks in the Smart Internet Lab‘s High Performance Network Research Group at the University of Bristol (above in the lab). “More importantly, it lays the foundation for a large-scale quantum internet—connecting quantum nodes and devices through entanglement and teleportation on a global scale.”
“This marks the culmination of more than ten years of work to design and build the UK Quantum Network,” said Adrian Wonfor from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “Not only does it demonstrate the use of multiple quantum communications technologies, but also the secure key management systems required to allow seamless end-to-end encryption between us.”
“This is a significant step in delivering quantum security for the communications we all rely upon in our daily lives at a national scale.” said Professor Richard Penty, also from Cambridge and who headed the Quantum Networks work package in the Quantum Communications Hub. “It would not have been possible without the close collaboration of the two teams at Cambridge and Bristol, the support of our industrial partners Toshiba, BT, Adtran and Cisco, and our funders at UKRI.”
“This is an extraordinary achievement which highlights the UK’s world-class strengths in quantum networking technology,” said Gerald Buller, Director of the IQN Hub, based at Heriot-Watt University. “This exciting demonstration is precisely the kind of work the Integrated Quantum Networks Hub will support over the coming years, developing the technologies, protocols and standards which will establish a resilient, future-proof, national quantum communications infrastructure.”
www.bristol.ac.uk; www.cambridge.ac.uk
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