# 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.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Technology
- Country: India
- Published: 2026-10-04T14:04:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-07T05:57:51+03:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-03
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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.

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.

| label | value | unit | period | basis | value_qualifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-space link length | 5.56 | km | 2026-09-27 | observed |  |
| Quantum bit error rate upper bound (below) | 5 | percent | 2026-09-27 | observed | upper-bound |
| Key generation rate range — lower endpoint | 230 | bits per second | 2026-09-27 | observed | lower-bound |
| Key generation rate range — upper endpoint | 260 | bits per second | 2026-09-27 | observed | upper-bound |

Sources: <https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2318656&lang=1&reg=3> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-free-space-qkd-556-km-field-trial-october-2026/data/source-indicators?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-free-space-qkd-556-km-field-trial-october-2026/data/source-indicators?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India](<https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2318656&lang=1&reg=3>) (Source checked: 2026-10-04; Published: 2026-10-03)

## Correction history

- 2026-10-07T00:55:09+03:00: German and Portuguese editions and translations of the data and correction explanations have been added to this article.
- 2026-10-07T05:57:51+03:00: Data classification corrected: measure identifiers and types now follow the dataset rules. No figure, unit or date changed.

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