Researchers in Berlin have teleported quantum data across a 19-mile loop of commercial fiber in one of the most advanced quantum networking tests on regular telecommunications infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The achievement, made in January 2026, was carried out by T-Labs, Deutsche Telekom\u2019s research and development division, in collaboration with Qunnect, a quantum networking company based in Brooklyn, New York.<\/p>\n
Deutsche Telekom stated that the teleportation ran alongside regular data traffic on the same metro fiber cables, showcasing that future quantum services could coexist with today\u2019s city networks.<\/p>\n
The experiment used Qunnect\u2019s commercial entanglement distribution hardware and Deutsche Telekom\u2019s quantum infrastructure in Berlin. \u201cOur fiber optic network is quantum ready,\u201d Abdu Mudesir, Telekom\u2019s executive board member for product and technology, pointed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A live quantum demo<\/p>\n
Quantum teleportation<\/a>\u00a0is a technique for transferring quantum information from a sender at one location to a receiver at another. It enables secure long-distance data transfer without moving the particles themselves. <\/p>\n Instead of physically sending a particle, the process reproduces its quantum state at the receiving end using previously shared entanglement. It opens the door to quantum cryptography, distributed computing, secure cloud services, quantum data centers, as well as high-precision sensor networks.<\/p>\n For the trial, the team employed a weak coherent source to generate qubits<\/a> over a 19-mile (30-kilometer) fiber loop connecting T-Lab\u2019s Quantum Lab to a node on the Berlin fiber testbed. They utilized Qunnect\u2019s Carina entanglement distribution platform capable of producing paired photons for teleportation.<\/p>\n The entangled photons traveled through buried and aerial fiber<\/a> in Berlin. At the same time, an automated system stabilized them against temperature shifts and vibrations. It enabled high-rate, high-fidelity transport of quantum bits between network nodes.<\/p>\n \u201cTeleportation is a novel tool for moving information around networks leveraging quantum physics,\u201d Mael Flament, Qunnect CTO, explained. \u201cWe are showing the building blocks of teleportation can operate inside a real network, in real racks, under operator control, advancing it from a laboratory experiment to something a telecommunications provider can deploy.\u201d<\/p>\n Strong performance results<\/p>\n Despite the harsh environmental conditions,\u00a0the demonstration<\/a>\u00a0reached a peak fidelity of 95 percent and an average accuracy of 90 percent. The teleportation part used a wavelength of 795 nanometers, which is essential for platforms like neutral-atom quantum computers, atomic clocks, and quantum sensors.<\/p>\n As per Mudesir, quantum teleportation lays the groundwork for linking quantum computers across distances and pooling their computing power. \u201cThis will create the next generation of secure communication and a building block for Europe\u2019s technological sovereignty,\u201d he concluded in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n