Secure communications is about to get a boost with the unveiling of TarQis, a Mobile Quantum-Optical Ground Station (Q-OGS) by SpeQtral, a Singapore-headquartered startup that develops satellite-based technology for secure communication and cybersecurity.
SpeQtral’s use of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) aims to lower the barrier to access for secure communication, using technology that distributes the secret digital keys for protecting highly sensitive data, by using properties found in quantum physics.
QKD is essentially the transmission of data using light quanta in quantum superposition states, a process that is near instant and extremely difficult to eavesdrop on. SpeQtral plans to use satellites to transmit these light quanta from orbit, allowing transmission wherever a receiver is located.
SpeQtral’s TarQis solution promises to be quick to deploy, without the need for permanent infrastructural fixtures. In contrast, existing quantum key solutions require significant infrastructure investment and long-term commitment.
TarQis will work seamlessly and is paired with SpeQtral’s upcoming quantum satellites. The Quantum-Optical Ground Station (Q-OGS) consists of a modular quantum receiver unit, a QKD control server and an optical telescope. They are contained within a standard 20-foot container, for easy transportation globally.
Using standard data interfaces, it serves as an access point to SpeQtral’s upcoming quantum satellites, offering a plug-and-play solution for users in the government and defence, telecom, financial services and data centre segments to deploy and test satellite QKD solutions.
To facilitate long-distance QKD connectivity to other metropolitan QKD networks, TarQis can be installed at a user’s secure location to provide direct access to satellite QKD solutions. Alternatively, TarQis can function as a node within a metropolitan fibre-QKD network.
Currently, SpeQtral provides short-term commercial satellite QKD demonstration campaigns between any two or more locations worldwide.
Last year, the company partnered Singapore telecom operator SPTel to start building a national quantum-safe network for Singapore.
It aims to help government agencies and businesses eventually be prepared for the next few years, when quantum computing is able to break today’s commonly used encryption locks.
