Quantum communication based on quantum mechanics is a secure communication technology,which can provide unconditional security between communication parties in principle. Recently,quantum communication technology and its practical engineering have been regarded by many counties and regions such as the US,European Union,China and Japan. With the engineering development of quantum communication technology,it has been progressing from point-to-point communications to network applications,including local area networks and wide area networks. Furthermore,global quantum communication is developing. In the review,we summarize in detail the development of the quantum communication networks built by various countries,and introduce the plans of quantum satellites.
Quantum communication based on quantum mechanics is a secure communication technology,which can provide unconditional security between communication parties in principle. Recently,quantum communication technology and its practical engineering have been regarded by many counties and regions such as the US,European Union,China and Japan. With the engineering development of quantum communication technology,it has been progressing from point-to-point communications to network applications,including local area networks and wide area networks. Furthermore,global quantum communication is developing. In the review,we summarize in detail the development of the quantum communication networks built by various countries,and introduce the plans of quantum satellites.
Abstract Quantum secure direct communication is a quantum communication technology that uses quantum states as carriers to transmit information securely and directly, first proposed by a team at Tsinghua University in 2000. Quantum communication broadly refers to information transfer processing tasks accomplished through the transmission of quantum states, which can be categorized into three types based on the content transmitted: quantum key distribution for transmitting random numbers, quantum secure direct communication for transmitting classical information, and quantum teleportation for transmitting quantum information. After more than two decades of development, quantum secure direct communication has matured and entered practical application: a theoretical framework tailored for scenarios with high loss, high noise, and stringent security requirements has been established; experimental demonstrations of quantum direct communication in optical fibers and free space have been completed; three milestone systems for quantum secure direct communication at the metropolitan, intercity, and network levels have been built; and successful trials have been conducted in various scenarios such as 5G private networks and banking applications. Quantum secure direct communication offers multiple applications: it prevents information leakage by detecting eavesdropping, ensuring information security; identifies exposed locations by monitoring surveillance activities, providing technical support for preventing targeted eliminations and safeguarding commanders' personal safety; and detects intrusion and tampering behaviors, offering novel protection for cybersecurity. Currently, quantum direct communication has been incorporated into relevant planning documents in China, the European Union, and the United States, and is undergoing rapid development. This article briefly outlines the historical development, fundamental principles, research advancements, and future prospects of quantum direct communication.
Recent progress in quantum technologies has brought quantum communication and networking from a largely theoretical idea to an emerging practical reality. By exploiting fundamental quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement, quantum communication promises capabilities that are fundamentally different and out of reach for classical communication systems, particularly in terms of security and information sharing. This review aims to present the essential theoretical concepts required to understand quantum communication, alongside an experimental and engineering perspective that highlights how these ideas are realized using real hardware. We explain core principles and protocols in a manner that connects the physics to practical system design, allowing readers to see how quantum theory and communication technology jointly enable quantum networking. The paper further surveys recent experimental and technological advances that have made practical quantum communication possible, emphasizing the role of photonic hardware, sources, detectors, and integrated platforms in enabling key operations, now leading to deployment of multi-node long-distance quantum networks. Finally, we also present the current developments in quantum-secure communication and quantum networking efforts undergoing in India, placing them in the context of the global progress.
Quantum communication technology is emerging as a transformative area in telecommunications, with the potential to revolutionize how data is transmitted, secured, and processed globally.The global quantum computing and communication market is expected to grow rapidly as major technology firms are contributing to the development of quantum communication hardware and software, signaling the commercial potential of such technology. This paper presents a comparative study of quantum communication across different regions (China, the United States, and the European Union). The result indicates distinct approaches, technological advancements, and strategic goals.
Quantum communication, based on the quantum physics, can provide information theoretical security. Building a global quantum network is one ultimate goal for the research of quantum information. Here, this talk will review the progress for quantum communication in China, including quantum key distribution over metropolitan area with untrustful relay, field test of quantum entanglement swapping over metropolitan network, the 2000 km quantum key distribution main trunk line, and satellite based quantum communication.
Quantum communication, based on the quantum physics, can provide information theoretical security. The gap between ideal devices and realistic setups, however, has raised various security loopholes, which have become the targets of many attacks and obstacles against its deployment and applications. I shall review the various efforts towards secure QKD system with practical devices over the society. Then I shall provide details about the deployed quantum communication systems in China, including metropolitan, backbone and satellite based international network, the technology challenging, the performance and an outlook.
With the recent advancements and developments in quantum technologies, the emerging field of quantum communication and networking has gained the attention of the researchers. Owing to the unique properties of quantum mechanics, viz., quantum superposition and entanglement, this new area of quantum communication has shown potential to replace modernday communication technologies. The enhanced security and high information sharing ability using principles of quantum mechanics has encouraged networking engineers and physicists to develop this technology for next generation wireless systems. However, a conceptual bridge between the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, photonics and the deployability of a quantum communication infrastructure is not well founded in the current literature. This paper aims to fill this gap by merging the theoretical concepts from quantum physics to the engineering and computing perspectives of quantum technology. This paper builds the fundamental concepts required for understanding quantum communication, reviews the key concepts and demonstrates how these concepts can be leveraged for accomplishing successful communication. The paper delves into implementation advancements for executing quantum communication protocols, explaining how hardware implementation enables the achievement of all basic quantum computing operations. Finally, the paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of the state-of-the-art advancements in the field of quantum communication and quantum internet; and points out the recent trends, challenges and open problems for the real-world realization of next generation networking systems.