New Delhi, June 17: India has achieved a significant milestone in quantum technology with the successful demonstration of entanglement-based secure communication over free space by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday.
The experiment, conducted at the DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) on the IIT Delhi campus, enabled secure quantum communication over a distance exceeding one kilometre using a free-space optical link. The demonstration achieved a secure key rate of nearly 240 bits per second and maintained a quantum bit error rate below 7%, setting the stage for real-time applications in cybersecurity and future quantum networks.
“This marks the beginning of a new quantum era of secure communication in India and will be a game changer in future warfare,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, congratulating the teams involved.
The project, titled “Design and development of photonic technologies for free space QKD,” was sanctioned by DRDO’s Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM). The experiment was led by Professor Bhaskar Kanseri’s research group and witnessed by senior DRDO officials and faculty from IIT Delhi.
Quantum entanglement-based communication, unlike traditional prepare-and-measure systems, offers higher levels of security by enabling the detection of any eavesdropping attempt. The approach also eliminates the need for costly and disruptive optical fiber installations, making it suitable for both remote and urban environments.
This development builds on previous achievements, including India’s first intercity quantum communication link between Vindhyachal and Prayagraj in 2022 and a 100-kilometre fiber-based quantum key distribution trial in 2024.
DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V Kamat and IIT Delhi Director Prof. Rangan Banerjee hailed the demonstration as a vital step toward strengthening India’s technological sovereignty and enhancing national security.
The initiative is part of DRDO’s broader push to advance quantum technologies through its network of 15 DIA-CoEs established across premier academic institutions in India.
