Business Wire

For the First Time, Researchers Successfully Demonstrate Over euNetworks’ Fibre Infrastructure That Quantum Communication Is Possible Between the United Kingdom and Ireland

Share

Researchers from The University of York in collaboration with the Quantum Communications Hub and euNetworks Fiber UK Limited (“euNetworks”) have for the first time successfully demonstrated that quantum communication is possible over the long geographical distance that separates England from Ireland. The team, led by Professor Marco Lucamarini from the University of York, ran a series of experiments using bandwidth infrastructure provider euNetworks’ subsea cable, named Rockabill. This network is one of the newest commercial optical fibre systems in operation and connects Ireland to England in the United Kingdom, running 224 kilometres between Portrane and Southport cable landing stations. Until now, no quantum link has ever been established between the two countries, nor on a span stretching this length on a subsea fibre optic cable.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231003629118/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Paula Cogan, CEO of euNetworks (Photo: Business Wire)

Quantum communication operates on the principle that particles of light can transmit data along optical cables in a highly fragile state. But the particles collapse if interfered with by someone trying to manipulate or steal private data, such as bank information, in transit.

“Many large companies and organisations are interested in quantum communications to secure their data, but it has limitations, particularly the distance it can travel,” said Professor Marco Lucamarini. “The longer the distance, the more likely it is that the photon – the particles of light that we use as carriers of quantum information – are lost, absorbed or scattered in the channel, which reduces the chances of the information reaching its target. This presents a problem when organisations need to send private digital information to other cities or other countries, where the additional challenge could also be an ocean between the communications’ start and end point.”

To overcome this limitation, a pilot project was devised. Rockabill – a new and unique ultra-low loss fibre optic subsea cable with low latency and remarkably low average attenuation – presented an ideal environment. The 224km cable connects landing stations in Southport and Portrane without amplification or a repeating system.

The series of experiments conducted on-site resulted in the successful transportation of single and entangled photons, as well as in the successful measurement of the optical phase exploited in twin-field and continuous-variable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), over a longer continuous distance than had ever been established before in undersea optical fibres, devoid of ‘trusted nodes’ between the two endpoints of the communication channel. The success of the experiments was largely due to highly sensitive detectors deployed at the Southport endpoint of the cable to reduce environmental noise levels.

The research further develops the use of QKD, the next frontier of data encryption technology. This technology has the potential to deliver advanced levels of network security. It has a strong use case in industries and organisations looking for highly secure data encryption methods, protection and transfer. It is already being applied and tested in worldwide government, pharmaceutical and life science organisations and in the financial services sector.

Professor Lucamarini said, “This is a truly exciting step forward in realising the full potential of quantum communications and for the future of securing private data in an environment that is shaping the so-called ‘quantum internet’. This project also advances the real-world integration of quantum communication technology into existing global telecommunications and network infrastructure – taking it out of the lab into a ‘real-world’ scenario.”

“euNetworks is proud to support a critical project that pushes the boundaries of quantum technology and has implications for the future of network security,” said Paula Cogan, Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks. “The successful integration of quantum technology over commercial-grade optical fibre infrastructure at this distance is an exciting step forward. Rockabill, and euNetworks’ Super Highway network it is part of, provide the ideal platform for new and progressive technologies that will enhance and innovate future network infrastructure.”

More experiments will need to be carried out using the same cable line to pave the way for integrating the services offered by quantum technologies into standard communications for industries sending private data between the UK and Ireland and for further advances in the quantum internet.

The project, funded by the EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub, will be presented at the NATO Symposium on Quantum Technology for Defence and Security in Amsterdam on 3 October.

About euNetworks

euNetworks is a critical bandwidth infrastructure company, owning and operating 17 fibre based metropolitan networks connected with a high capacity intercity backbone covering 53 cities in 17 countries across Europe. The company leads the market in data centre connectivity, directly connecting over 515 today. euNetworks is also a leading cloud connectivity provider and offers a targeted portfolio of metropolitan and long haul services including Dark Fibre, Wavelengths, and Ethernet. Wholesale, finance, content, media, mobile, data centre and enterprise customers benefit from euNetworks’ unique inventory of fibre and duct based assets that are tailored to fulfil their high bandwidth needs. For further information visit eunetworks.com.

About The University of York

A member of the prestigious Russell Group, we are a dynamic, research-intensive university. We work collaboratively in partnership with institutions across the world to develop life-saving discoveries and new technologies that tackle some of the most pressing global challenges. Our 30+ academic departments undertake ground breaking research that underpins our inspiring teaching and challenges students to dream big, think critically and change the world. For further information, visit https://www.york.ac.uk/

About EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub

The EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub is a technology research and development collaboration of UK Universities, industrial partners and public sector stakeholders brought together to accelerate the commercialisation of secure quantum communications technologies and services at all distance scales. The project is funded via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of the National Quantum Technologies Programme. For further information, visit https://www.quantumcommshub.net/

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

euNetworks contact:
Hannah Britt | Chief Marketing Officer | euNetworks
5 Churchill Place | London E14 5HU
hannah.britt@eunetworks.com email | +44 7717 896 446 mobile

The University of York contact:
Samantha Martin | Deputy Head of Media Relations | The University of York
Communications & Marketing, Heslington | York YO10 5DD
s.martin@york.ac.uk email | +44 7384 238 979 mobile

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Ant International Partners with Barclays on Global Treasury Management with Proprietary AI-Powered FX Model9.5.2025 16:57:00 EEST | Press release

Ant International has entered a partnership with leading UK bank Barclays to enhance efficiency and resilience in global treasury management for businesses. Under the partnership, the two sides will combine innovative solutions, including Ant’s proprietary Time-Series Transformer (TST) AI FX Model, to help businesses reduce FX-related costs and risks against global volatilities. At the initial stage of the collaboration, Ant International has successfully completed the first batch of its intra-group FX transactions with Barclays. Ant International’s TST Model is a transformer architecture-based big data model with close to 2 billion parameters. By integrating the latest time series forecasting algorithms, the TST Model predicts patterns over time. Ant also created new pre-training and Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) frameworks to train the model and improve its predictions over time. The TST Model now forecasts the company's cashflow and FX exposure on an hourly, daily and weekly basis, w

Monument Re Transfers €1.4bn Greycastle Portfolio to RGA and Strengthens European Life Insurance Consolidation Platform9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release

Monument Re Limited (“Monument”) announces today that it has transferred a legacy €1.4bn reinsurance portfolio, comprising annuity and other life insurance liabilities acquired as part of the 2020 Greycastle transaction, to RGA Americas Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA”). This transaction releases capital resources that Monument will redirect to its core strategy of consolidation in European life insurance markets. The transaction completed on 2May 2025 following approval by the Boards of Directors of both Monument and RGA and non-objection from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Monument has taken significant steps in recent months to strengthen its business operations by consolidating its European group support functions in Dublin and by aligning with the recently strengthened regulatory regime in Bermuda. With its strong financial position and best in class capabilities in the Group, Monument remains ideally positioned to build on its success to date and grow its European footprint, del

IFF Completes Divestiture of Nitrocellulose Business9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release

IFF (NYSE: IFF) today announced that it has completed the divestiture of its nitrocellulose business, including Walsrode Industrial Park in lower Saxony, Germany, to Czechoslovak Group (CSG). The business manufactures nitrocellulose strictly for industrial purposes, serving customers primarily in coatings and printing inks, and had been part of IFF’s Pharma Solutions business unit. “The divestiture of our nitrocellulose business builds upon our deleveraging journey and enables us to focus on our core businesses,” said Erik Fyrwald, IFF CEO. “I’d like to thank our nitrocellulose colleagues for their dedication and wish them continued success as part of CSG.” Welcome to IFF At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products—advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience.Le

CPAC Systems AB Announces Strategic Minority Investment in Flying Fish9.5.2025 13:33:00 EEST | Press release

CPAC Systems AB, a leader in advanced control systems and embedded vessel and commercial vehicle technology, today announced a strategic minority investment in Flying Fish Maritime Innovations B.V., a pioneer in advanced shared water mobility solutions and robust, cost-effective hydrofoil technology. The investment underscores both companies’ commitment to redefining water-based transportation through innovation, sustainability, and seamless integration. It marks the beginning of a deeper collaboration aimed at enabling smarter, cleaner, and more connected mobility on the water — for both recreational and commercial applications. “We are thrilled to support Flying Fish and their impressive work in redefining water mobility,"saidMarcus Wingolf, CEO of CPAC Systems. "Our investment in Flying Fish represents a strategic alignment of our technical proficiencies and innovative ambitions. This partnership opens exciting new possibilities for integration and sustainable transformation across

Kioxia Receives IEEE Corporate Innovation Award9.5.2025 10:00:00 EEST | Press release

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced that it has received the IEEE Corporate Innovation Award from the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. This award recognizes Kioxia's outstanding contribution in the field of electrical and electronics engineering through its BiCS FLASH™ technology, a low-cost, high-capacity 3D flash memory innovation. The award ceremony was held on April 24 in Tokyo. The IEEE Corporate Innovation Award is a globally-recognized honor bestowed upon organizations that have developed innovative technologies, products or services that have made a substantial contribution to the advancement of electrical and electronics engineering. Since its inception in 1985, the award has been presented to leading electronics manufacturers and IT companies worldwide, and Kioxia is proud to be the seventh Japanese c

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye