With no missing data or data corruption, quantum networking achieves stable and high-fidelity communication compatible through existing fibre networks.
A new quantum networking experiment shows that quantum data can travel safely through the same fibre cables used for the internet today. The system achieves 99% accuracy, or fidelity, while sending special light particles called entangled photons through telecom fibres.
Quantum networking uses entanglement, a link between two particles that stay connected even when they are far apart. In earlier experiments, the light used for communication did not match the wavelength used in fibre cables. That mismatch caused data loss and made the network less reliable.
In this new approach, scientists used atoms of ytterbium-171 (¹⁷¹Yb) to match the wavelength with telecom range by creating photons at a wavelength of 1389 nanometres, which fits directly into the telecom range. This allows the photons to move through existing fibre networks without any conversion or loss of signal strength.
The researchers built the system using a row of atoms linked to a fibre array. This setup can create and send multiple entangled photons at once, helping the network handle more data and connect more nodes. Each channel stays stable, and the quality of the connection remains high across all of them.
To make the system more reliable, the team added a process that keeps the quantum signals steady while several transmissions happen at the same time. Their results show that the network can achieve near-perfect accuracy with minor improvements and that the fibre setup does not introduce additional errors.
This experiment shows that quantum communication can work within today’s telecom systems. It brings quantum networks a step closer to becoming part of real-world communication, linking quantum computers, sensors, and clocks over long distances in the future.
