With quantum networks, communication cannot be intercepted

Quantum computers will have an unimaginable data processing capacity. Very different from current ones, which process data and process algorithms that, as we have seen, hackers often manage to 'break'.

Either we change the mathematical algorithms and invent more complex ones or we change the technology, perhaps based on a new way of exchanging encryption keys. And this is the case of the QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) project, also promoted by the Italian Army, which allows the transmission of data between connected subjects in a secure way, protected from interceptions.

It is Colonel Pasquale Guarino of the VI C5I Systems Department of the Italian Army General Staff, interviewed by the Dire agency, who explains the futurist revolution that now affects the Milan metropolitan network, but could be replicated, in the future, also in other Italian cities.

the QKD project

“The interested parties- Guarino said- they are connected on a quantum network, where photons (the elementary particles of light) are transmitted, specifically coded, using the quantum principle of superposition of states (I am referring to the polarization state of the photon); if this 'chain' is intercepted for any reason, the ends immediately warn it, precisely because the state of the aforementioned photons is altered – due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle – and errors are detected in the transmitted key”.

The project, in the experimental phase, was born to provide the capital of Lombardy, the first city in the world, with an ultra-secure post-quantum network that can guarantee data transmission and cybersecurity, it is already the future and will touch the lives of everyone, including journalists, to defend ourselves for example from those 'fake news' that can dangerously contaminate information, or from cyber attacks that can alter and compromise health data.

It is the cognitive domain that we hear so much about, now become strategic like the classical ones. The first step is this agreement, signed between the Polytechnic of Milan (PoliMi), which patented the 'quantum' nodes, the Lombardy Region, Aria, Intesa Sanpaolo and the 1st Transmission Regiment of the Italian Army.

“This is a pioneering project- Guarino said– and the Milan network is an experimentation network that takes on great importance not only for the actors who participate directly. As an Army, we were involved because the PoliMI identified the 1st Transmission Regiment as a reliable partner to collaborate with, both in terms of its highly technical nature and its geographical location in the Milan metropolitan area.

Obviously we welcomed this possibility with open arms. On the study level everything works perfectly, but now the practical applications of this innovative technology need to be tested. The Army is ready to provide a qualified contribution”, he reiterated by underlining how the 1st Transmission Regiment represents a cutting edge of technology within the Armed Forces.

“We cannot help but invest in security and new technologies,” clarified the Colonel who highlighted the highly “strategic” value of this project. And Italy, in this specific sector, is second to none, boasting “a quantum backbone of 1.800 km that extends from Turin to Matera (Italian Quantum Backbone) and participating, with important national companies - Guarino added - in an important European project (called OQTAVO) that aims to integrate quantum technologies for cryptography within specific services throughout the EU”.

As it was for the Internet, born from military needs, the same thing is now proposed for the security of all our information: “The purpose- the Colonel clarified– is to safeguard all communications while ensuring that the cognitive domain is not altered.”

In short, Defense already has another face, it is not only the 'army' known to most, and it is also a world of job opportunities, skills and training that the youngest, the future technicians of Quantum Computing, cannot miss.