It includes quantum-optical infrastructure along with a 2,000km test fibre network
Deutsche Telekom has opened a Quantum Lab at its T-Labs premises in Berlin. The facility is dedicated to quantum research and integrating quantum tech into commercial telecoms networks. The company aims to develop discrete quantum communication capabilities, as well as more better performing ‘ordinary’ networks.
The facility connected to a fibre network more than 2,000 km long which connects to partners across Germany, such as the technical Universities of Berlin, Dresden and Munich, the Fraunhofer Institut HHI and others from academia and business.
Entanglement, cryptography
Research will focus on the use of quantum entanglement. This includes quantum cryptography for ultra-secure communication as well as communication networks with improved latency, throughput and resilience. Quantum entanglement could power networks of distributed and sensory applications – a quantum internet of things.
Claudia Nemat, CTIO at Deutsche Telekom, said “We explicitly invite the research and innovation community to join us in leveraging networks at the interface between R&D and commercial exploration like ours. To prove that innovative quantum technology solutions work under real-world conditions. And to usher in a new era of communications service.”
Other development
The opening of the Quantum Lab is just days after SK Telecom (SKT) announced it would promote the case for a global quantum safe communications standard at an ITU Security Group meeting held in South Korea. SKT, which has a long-standing tech partnership with DT, recommends the standards should be based on a combination of quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
In February, Deutsche Telekom announced its role in the European Commission’s PETRUS project which is aiming to develop a secure quantum communication infrastructure, EuroQCI. The operator is to coordinate the collaborative efforts across the 27 EU member states.
In March, T-Systems announced Quantum-as-a-Service to give business customers access to IBM’s quantum computing so they can develop and test use cases, with the options of dedicated training and advisory services.
Slow progress
Quantum has been about to hit the big in telecoms for more than a decade. It seems incremental progress is underway. In July,HSBC became the first bank to join BT and Toshiba’s commercial trial quantum-secured metro network, working in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The network was installed in 2020. The bank will trial the quantum secure transmission of test data over fibre-optic cables between its global HQ in Canary Wharf and a data centre in Berkshire, 62km away.
Quantum encryption is also on the agenda for securing critical infrastructure, such as undersea cables and in July, the EU and Japan have agreed to step up collaboration efforts on quantum technologies as well as AI.