China is five years ahead of the world in terms of quantum communication technology, and will keep its lead in the next 10 to 15 years, reported newspaper China Science Daily on October 12, citing a top Chinese scientist in the field.
Quantum communication is a new communication mode that utilizes quantum entanglement to transfer information with superior security and efficiency compared with traditional communication modes, according to the Chinese equivalent of Wikipedia baike.baidu.com, run by search giant Baidu.
Japan and Europe have their own quantum communication research programs, but China is four to five years ahead of all other players, and will keep the lead for a relatively long time in the future, said Pan Jianwei, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at the technology and application demo of the 2,000-kilometer quantum confidential communication network called the “Beijing-Shanghai Backbone Network.” Pan is also chief scientist on the project.
Pan also stressed that some time is needed before the technology can find wide applications. “We hope that with the support of the State, the Chinese Academy of Sciences can lead the effort to build a quantum communication network which has several vertical and horizontal routes and covers the entire nation,” he said. Technological development will help bring down the costs, and quantum communication technology is expected to “enter every household in the next 10 to 15 years,” he predicted.
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