Breaking barriers or building roadblocks?

Quantum technology is redefining secure networks, but technical, regulatory, and scalability hurdles could determine whether it thrives or stalls.

- GAURAV SAHAY

Quantum communication has widely been recognised as the future of secure information exchange, offering the potential for cryptographic protocols resistant to conventional decryption methods and unprecedented data transmission speeds. This emerging field has garnered substantial interest from academic institutions, governmental bodies, and leading technology enterprises. Enter 2025, and quantum communication is at a pivotal stage, poised either for transformative advancements or facing technical and infrastructural constraints that may impede its large-scale implementation.

Concurrently, the legal and regulatory framework governing quantum communication is slated to evolve significantly. Policymakers and regulatory authorities are grappling with the dual imperative of safeguarding national security interests while fostering an environment conducive to technological innovation and commercial deployment. The current state of quantum communication in 2025 delves into recent technological breakthroughs, the legal and regulatory challenges confronting its adoption, and the prospective trajectory of this field in the years to come.

ADVANCING QUANTUM KEY DISTRIBUTION AND NETWORK SECURITY

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) has witnessed substantial advancements, with leading telecommunications entities successfully implementing QKD protocols within existing fibre-optic infrastructures to enhance the security of data transmission. Moreover, the development of satellite-based QKD networks has accelerated, with key geopolitical stakeholders—including China, the European Union, and the United States—initiating strategic projects to establish a global framework for quantum-secured communications.

Hybrid quantum-classical networks have moved from theory to reality, enabling seamless integration of quantum encryption with conventional communication systems.