BT and Toshiba have deployed an 'unhackable' quantum network[1] that uses streams of photons to encrypt sensitive communications.
A trial of the network, which is the first of its kind in the UK, will see data transmitted between two engineering facilities in Bristol using encryption keys streamed as 'encoded' particles of light.
The 6km network connecting the National Composites Centre (NCC) and the Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS) will use Toshiba's Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to secure data traffic sent between the two sites via BT's Openreach fiber infrastructure.
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QKD is used to distribute secret digital keys, which can be used along with an encryption algorithm to either encrypt or authenticate encoded information.
The technology solution developed by BT and Toshiba allows both the quantum keys and network data to be transmitted within a stream of photons along the same fiber cable, using a technique called multiplexing.
Eventually, the technology could allow quantum-encrypted data to be sent across distances of up to 120km, potentially spanning cities and other metropolitan areas.
NCC will use the quantum-secure link to demonstrate the potential for the offsite control of factories using 5G, while CFMS is hoping to better understand how encryption techniques can secure data used within AI and digital-twin applications.
The announcement marks the first deployment of QKD in the UK. However, Toshiba has been running trials of its technology in both Japan and the US, where QKD is being used to secure sensitive information for healthcare and financial services organizations.
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In QKD, each bit of the key is encoded onto a single photon.