Quantum Communications: new potential for the future of communications
In our Emerging Technology Programme, Ofcom has identified various priority areas to help and support the growth of new technologies. The application of quantum physics principles to networks and communication could potentially impact on several of the sectors we regulate.
By leveraging the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, quantum-based emerging technologies and use cases have the potential to grow at an accelerated pace. Ofcom is specifically interested in understanding which of the key communication sectors are using quantum technologies, so that we can track the pace of growth and understand what benefits this may bring to people and businesses.
We commissioned this report, to focus on understanding the scope and applications of quantum communication and quantum assisted communication to understand better the recent advances that have implications both in (a) improving existing classical communications channels using quantum principles and (b) exploring new technologies where the information to be transmitted is itself required to be in a quantum state.
The report was produced by a three-person team: Prof Giulio Chiribella and doctoral student Hlér Kristjánsson from the University of Oxford along with their experimental collaborator Robert Gardner, PhD student at Imperial College London.