It’s a first as far as India is concerned: over a distance of 1000-km, scientists of the Bengaluru-based QNu Labs have physically demonstrated quantum communication using a limited number of nodes or relays.
“Yes. It’s a very exciting time for India,” Dr Sunil Gupta, co-founder of QNu Labs, “This is something which is a benchmark for 1000-km and India has achieved it in record time.
“This is the last ten years we have been working on this technology and we have been very focused on it. There was great support from government and we had the tailwinds, policy tailwinds.”
China has already demonstrated quantum communication over 2000-km but that system requires more relays. The US preferred to focus on the software initially and is now working on satellite-based quantum networks.
For India, the crucial issue was network security. How to prevent cyber hacking of its sprawling telecom network and Dr Gupta and his colleagues at QNu Labs took a leap of faith forward, focusing on the future, a “15 year forward call,” as Gupta describes it.
The plan was to get out of the “service mindset” to a “product mindset” and quantum was it. Fortunately as development progressed, support became more and more forthcoming and the launch of the National Quantum Mission three years back with a budget of over Rs 6,000 crore brought the government into the picture.
Quantum communication ensures network security, and safety from cyber attacks or eavesdropping or hacking. This is because everything in the quantum world behaves differently.
Any act of eavesdropping or hacking is detected because the photons that carry the information are very sensitive to such attempts. The photons collapse rendering it impossible for the hackers to access the information.
Dr Gupta said the plan was to use the quantum layer as an overlay over the existing telecom network. This is more economical than tearing up the entire network and replacing it.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Dr Sunil Gupta, co-founder of QNu Labs.
