Deutsche Telekom and Qunnect have demonstrated a significant milestone in the development of the quantum internet. Researchers at Deutsche Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs) and Qunnect surpassed previous records for sustained, high fidelity transmission of entangled photons over a commercial fiber network, achieving 99% fidelity over a 30-kilometer distance for 17 days. This field experiment was conducted in Berlin and marks a breakthrough for quantum communication technologies.
The demonstration was conducted at T-Labs’ quantum research lab, where leading research partners tested the transmission of entangled photons across a commercially deployed fiber-optic network. This experiment marks the first time that entangled photon transmission has been demonstrated over such long distances and sustained for such an extended period in a real-world fiber network.
The quantum communication breakthrough was achieved through polarization entangled photons, which were distributed over the fiber-optic network. The system was able to maintain 99% fidelity by automatically compensating for environmental factors that could disrupt the transmission. Researchers also demonstrated that the system could operate with only 1% downtime, surpassing previous records for similar technologies.
In a parallel experiment, polarization-entangled photons were dynamically routed over multiple fiber-optic paths totaling 82 kilometers, while maintaining high fidelity above 92%. This experiment represents the longest demonstration of high-fidelity entanglement distribution in the O-band multiplexed with C-band classical data, conducted over a commercially deployed optical fiber network.
Noel Goddard, CEO, Qunnect
We are grateful to T-Labs and Deutsche Telekom for the opportunity to showcase the performance of our products integrated with classical data traffic over commercial network infrastructure. Such partnerships are critical for demonstrating the progress toward commercial utility of quantum networking.
Claudia Nemat, Member, Board of Management for Technology and Innovation, Deutsche Telekom
Our fiber optics are ready for the Quantum Internet, even today. This is the first time that a major telecommunications provider has successfully triggered and conducted experiments with entangled photons on its own infrastructure. Our customers will benefit from such leaps in innovation, including highly secure communication.
