India reports 5.56-kilometre free-space quantum key link trial
QNu Labs, BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar demonstrated a 5.56-kilometre free-space quantum key distribution link in India. The Press Information Bureau said the trial took place on the night of 27–28 September between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar.
Event / data period: 2026-10-03
Published: · Updated:
PIB reported a stable quantum bit error rate below 5% and key generation at 230–260 bits per second. The keys were integrated with BISAG-N's Vedic Kavach platform, where end-to-end encryption and decryption of test messages were demonstrated.
The release said the setup combined QNu Labs' Armos hardware over free-space optical channels with BISAG-N software incorporating post-quantum cryptography and quantum random-number generation. This was a reported field trial; the source did not report a commercial network rollout or broad deployment.
Data
Free-space quantum key distribution field trial
Measurements reported in a 3 October 2026 PIB release about the September field trial between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar in India.
- Free-space link length
- 5.56 km
- 2026-09-27 · Observed
- Quantum bit error rate upper bound (below)
- ≤5 percent
- 2026-09-27 · Observed
- Key generation rate range — lower endpoint
- ≥230 bits per second
- 2026-09-27 · Observed
- Key generation rate range — upper endpoint
- ≤260 bits per second
- 2026-09-27 · Observed
Methodology
The trial took place on the night of 27–28 September. The release reports a 5.56 km link, stable quantum bit error rate below 5%, and key generation of 230–260 bits per second. Range endpoints are shown separately; this does not establish product deployment or commercial service.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- Scientific researchSuggested
- Subject suggested from the title or summary: quantumwww.pib.gov.in ↗
Geographic references
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- India · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.pib.gov.in ↗