The UK has taken a major step towards creating the high-speed internet of the future: scientists from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge have successfully demonstrated long-distance data transmission over a quantum-protected network for the first time.
A truly historic event has taken place in the UK: the country’s first secure quantum video communication over optical fibre took place between two remote points – Bristol and Cambridge. The distance between these cities is more than 410 kilometres. Of course, this is not only a technical achievement, but also a new stage in ensuring the digital security of the future.
Unlike traditional communication systems, which use classical encryption methods that can potentially be hacked, quantum communications use the physical properties of light. The experiment involved two principles: quantum distributed entanglement and quantum key distribution (QKD), in which cryptographic keys are “hidden” inside individual photons, making interception virtually impossible. The uniqueness of the development is that for the first time, the researchers managed to combine different quantum technologies within a single large-scale network and achieve their joint operation with the classical telecommunications infrastructure.
During the demonstration of the network, the researchers held a quantum-protected video conference, transmitted encrypted medical data, and organized remote access to a distributed data center. All this happened in real time, and data protection was provided exclusively by quantum methods. The work was carried out within the framework of the British project Quantum Communications Hub.