QCommTestbed - Quantum communication testbeds
QCommTestbed is a consortium of 9 academic players who have joined forces to advance quantum communications in France, aiming not only to set up deployed quantum network infrastructures but also to develop devices and solutions for testing innovative quantum communication protocols in real conditions.
During the first 24 months, the consortium completed the deployment of two quantum ‘testbeds’ at the Paris and Nice sites, covering a total distance of 170km and including more than a dozen nodes. The first reference quantum key distribution systems have been experimentally validated on these networks and the validation of security certification methods adapted to the deployment of these devices in the field is underway.
The project is now moving into the second phase, which will focus on setting up the new generations of devices and protocols that will enable the quantum ecosystem to be enriched, such as photonic sources of quantum states (single photons, entangled pairs of photons) at very high bit rates, or advanced multi-user protocols with appropriate security certification, over longer distances, or by combining quantum and post-quantum methods. Interfacing photonic fibre links with space links and interfacing with cold atom-based quantum memories are also being studied. The aim here is to develop sources with varied wavelengths or coherent frequency conversion interfaces.