China’s ‘father of quantum’ says global secure communications just 3 years away
Physicist Pan Jianwei outlines timetable for quantum-based ultra-secure networks that will have coverage across the world
During the press briefing, Pan said his team of researchers plans to launch two to three satellites into low Earth orbit next year, followed by a high Earth orbit satellite two years later.
By combining the satellite constellation with ground-based optical-fibre quantum networks across the country, they expect to “deliver something truly practical” for large-scale communications in the next five to 10 years, he said.
China’s quantum communications market is rapidly increasing. China Telecom, the country’s largest telecommunications company, reported three million terminal users at the end of 2023, and is predicting the number to surpass five million this year.
The technology is based on the special properties of tiny particles called qubits, which can exist in more than one state at once. Anyone trying to listen in would cause an instant change in the particles, immediately revealing the eavesdropping attempt.
With the Mozi satellite launch, China positioned itself at the forefront of the global race to develop quantum technologies that could make everything from personal banking to national defence communications virtually impossible to hack.
The satellite was the world’s first to use entangled photons – particles of light that remain connected even over long distances – to exchange quantum signals over a distance of 1,000km (621 miles), with ground stations on Earth.
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Space race elevates Asia in new world order
China also achieved the world’s first intercontinental quantum key distribution, when the Mozi satellite was used to securely transmit encrypted data in an exchange with Austria.
The success of Jinan-1 was hailed as an important step towards China’s ambitions of building a low-cost, practical space-to-ground quantum communications network with global coverage.
According to Wang Jianyu, an expert in space-based optoelectronic technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China’s planned geostationary orbit quantum satellite – operating tens of thousands of kilometres from Earth – will be far more complex than Mozi.
In an interview last year with China Science Daily, Wang said the satellite will require a more precise optical path alignment with the ground stations as well as stronger on-board quantum light sources and advanced micro-vibration suppression technologies.
According to Pan, a global quantum communication network – and eventually a quantum internet – will consist of three key components, starting with fibre-based metropolitan quantum communication networks and culminating in global satellite coverage.
The second building block is to achieve intercity communications supported by quantum repeaters – devices that extend the distance over which information can be sent without losing accuracy.
Pan and his team are developing quantum repeater technology capable of supporting communications over thousands of kilometres and aim to achieve intercity quantum transmissions within five years, he said.
