China Telecom Corporation Limited (China Telecom) has recently achieved a groundbreaking milestone by completing the world’s first hollow-core fiber transmission test over a distance exceeding 100 kilometers. This accomplishment sets a new global record and represents a significant advancement in quantum-classical co-transmission technology.
The project was jointly conducted by China Telecom Research Institute along with China Telecom Quantum Group, QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., YOFC, ZTE, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.
Quantum-classical co-transmission is a key challenge for the large-scale deployment of quantum communications, as traditional solid-core fibers allow interference between the two types of signals. By introducing innovations such as frequency-spectrum coordination and multi-source crosstalk suppression, the team enabled stable co-transmission with low noise, high security, and large capacity.
The test delivered world-leading performance, achieving a transmission distance of 101.6 kilometers while supporting high-power transmission at 21 dBm. It ensured a transmission capacity of 37.6 Tbps, and maintained a stable secure key rate of around 5 kbps—a significant improvement in practicality for service applications.The research findings have been published in leading international academic platforms including the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking and the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC), demonstrating China’s independent innovation and strengthening its global influence in the quantum communication field.
This breakthrough is expected to accelerate the integration of quantum communication into existing network infrastructures and support applications in finance, government services, and energy management by providing ultra-secure data transmission. It will also promote the commercialization of hollow-core fiber and upgrade the quantum communication industry chain, creating new drivers for digital economy growth.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
