In the UK, researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge have made the first long-distance quantum-secure video call. They have also been able to develop a network based on conventional fiber-optic infrastructure that relies on a number of quantum phenomena to provide ultra-secure data transmission.
In the UK, researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge have made the first long-distance quantum-secure video call. They have also been able to develop a network based on conventional fiber-optic infrastructure that relies on a number of quantum phenomena to provide ultra-secure data transmission.
The network uses two forms of quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes: «unbreakable» encryption keys hidden inside light particles, and distributed entanglement, a phenomenon that allows quantum particles to be naturally connected, AZOQuantum reported, citing a report by scientists at the 2025 Optical Fiber Communications Conference (OFC) in San Francisco.
Using a live, quantum-protected video conferencing channel, the researchers transmitted encrypted medical data nearly 410 km over fibre optic between Bristol and Cambridge, and also gained secure remote access to a distributed data centre.
The network used single-mode fibre via the EPSRC National Dark Fibre Facility (which offers dedicated fibre for research purposes) and low-loss optical switches that allow network reconfiguration of both classical and quantum signalling traffic.
«This marks the culmination of more than a decade of work on the design and creation of the UK quantum network. It not only demonstrates the use of many quantum communication technologies, but also the secure key management systems needed for seamless end-to-end encryption between us,» said study co-author Adrian Wonfor from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering.
Another co-author of the study, Professor Richard Penty, also from Cambridge, who led the Quantum Networks work package at the Quantum Communications Hub, stressed that this was an important step in ensuring quantum security for the communications we all rely on in our daily lives on a national scale.
The experiment was made possible by the help of industrial partners Toshiba, BT, Adtran and Cisco, as well as research sponsors at UKRI.
The researchers have received funding from an EPSRC project known as the Integrated Quantum Networks Hub, and plan to continue working on creating quantum networks at all distances, from intercontinental networks via low-Earth orbit satellites to national-scale entanglement networks for quantum-secure communication, distributed computing and sensing.
Not long before, in late March, amid concerns that quantum computing could render traditional cryptographic methods obsolete and vulnerable, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) published official guidance on moving to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to protect organisations from the threats that could arise with the development of quantum computers.
Research and development in the field of quantum computing has been going on for a long time and has recently intensified among scientists in many countries. While quantum computers may not yet be widely available, technological progress in this area is growing rapidly. You can learn more about current trends in quantum computing in our extensive material .
