The Defence Research and Development Organisation, along with IIT Delhi, has made a monumental leap in the sphere of Quantum Communications, being the flagship step in a new technology for secure communications. A demonstration held recently showed. thrive their latest technologies of quantum key distribution (QKD) and entanglement-based secure communication technologies. Contributions of these organizations towards an understanding of thematic conceptual domains and functional forays into Quantum Technologies were brought forth at an event held in New Delhi on November 26, 2024.
Quantum communication has quantum mechanics set up to allow secure data transmission; hence not only is the device supposed to be inapproachable but also incorruptible. Demonstration of technology breakthroughs included successful demonstrations of fiber entanglement-based QKD by experts from DRDO and IIT Delhi. It helps enable secure key exchange based on the laws of quantum entanglement. In this technology, any attempt to eavesdrop on the communication would effectively and very quickly be detected.
The demonstration was capped off by an enthralling free-space-QKD involving the distribution of entangled quanta over a distance of around 80 m in the free atmosphere. This technology addresses the problems of fiber optics communication in that it establishes long-range communication without any wires. There are many prospects for the use of free space quantum communication in areas like satellite-based communication and global secure networks where it is not possible to deploy fiber optic cables.
Along with advancements in high-efficiency photon sources, these innovations play a pivotal role in reducing the technological challenges traditionally associated with quantum systems. The research institutes are therefore expanding the possibility of deploying more secure networks that can cover a wider global area by relying on more effective and dependable means of quantum communication.
Quantum communication has a lot of potential. For example, in the context of defense, quantum communication can essentially utilize a secure key exchange that is impossible to intercept. Problems in the banking & finance sectors can be addressed as well. Once these technologies are developed further, their effects will extend to the areas of secure sharing of medical information, so there are no breaches or protection of patient privacy.
