- Capability group
- Quantum Technologies
- Domain
- Critical Technology · Hard Power
- Identifier
- factbase.org/cap/8M8XMR9X07
- Reference
- Quantum communication Wikipedia
Papers
23.7k
2020–2024
Paper growth
+140%
2020–24 on 2015–19
Patent families
5.6k
2020–2024
Filed abroad
23%
families in more than one office
What it covers
What the capability covers and what it leaves to others, and the indicators it will be measured by.
Bounds
Covers quantum communication technology; the fibre and satellite infrastructure it rides on belongs to Strategic Infrastructure, and classical quantum-resistant cryptography is the neighbouring capability.
Lineage
Carried from v0.0 (formerly Quantum communication (including quantum key distribution)) with the same identifier; rewritten from definition to capacity.
Indicators
- research publication share in quantum communicationResearch
- quantum key distribution networks deployedPending
Who publishes it
Papers classified to the capability, by year and by the nation of their authors' institutions, 2020–2024. Read from the v0.0 research topic Quantum communication (including quantum key distribution).
Papers by year
The five leading nations, papers by year
Share of papers, 2020–2024
Of papers with a known author nation; 51% have none and are left out.
- 1China23.3%3,222 papers
- 2United States12.8%1,774 papers
- 3India6.3%871 papers
- 4Germany5.6%773 papers
- 5United Kingdom5.1%708 papers
- 6Italy3.3%455 papers
- 7Canada3.1%434 papers
- 8Japan3.1%434 papers
- 9Spain2.4%337 papers
- 10France2.4%336 papers
Leading institutions, 2020–2024
By fractional count: each paper divided among its authors' institutions.
- 1University of Science and Technology of China205fractional papers
- 2Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications187fractional papers
- 3Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications90fractional papers
- 4Tsinghua University69fractional papers
- 5Nanjing University57fractional papers
- 6University of Bristol55fractional papers
- 7Massachusetts Institute of Technology50fractional papers
- 8Delft University of Technology48fractional papers
- 9National University of Singapore45fractional papers
- 10Shanxi University38fractional papers
Who patents it
Patent families by the nation of origin of their applicants and their earliest priority year, from the CPC and IPC classes the capability is read from. 2025 onwards is incomplete: families are published 18 months after priority.
Families by priority year
The five leading origins, families by year
1,145 applicants filed here in 2015–2024; the five largest held 13% of families (HHI 63 of 10,000: unconcentrated).
Share of families by origin, 2020–2024
- 1China67.5%3,767 families
- 2United States10.4%580 families
- 3South Korea6.3%354 families
- 4Germany3.2%178 families
- 5Japan3.2%178 families
- 6United Kingdom1.6%87 families
- 7France1.1%64 families
- 8Canada0.9%53 families
- 9Israel0.7%37 families
- 10Switzerland0.6%35 families
Applicants filing most internationally, 2015–2024
Families filed in more than one office, by applicant as the offices name them.
- 1TOSHIBA KK112international families
- 2TOSHIBA CORP107international families
- 3LG ELECTRONICS INC64international families
- 4DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG50international families
- 5HUAWEI TECH CO LTD44international families
- 6NEC CORP42international families
- 7ARQIT LTD36international families
- 8ID QUANTIQUE S A36international families
- 9ID QUANTIQUE SA32international families
- 10HUAWEI TECH DUESSELDORF GMBH31international families
Classification read
- H04B10/70 Photonic quantum communication · 10.4k documents
- H04L9/0852 Quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution · 23.3k documents
Shares inventions with
Capabilities whose classes the same families also fall in, by overlap (Jaccard).
- Quantum Computing470 families · 0.064
- Post-Quantum Cryptography54 families · 0.024
- Privacy, Identity & Trust Technologies1,354 families · 0.019
- Advanced Optical Communication & Photonics654 families · 0.013
- Protective Cybersecurity Technologies412 families · 0.005
Who makes it
The companies that research, design, make, supply and operate the technology, the global leaders and the leading firms of every region.
50 companies in this capability, from 25 nations across 6 regions. Sorted by how experts see each company's global relevance in the field, from very high to very low.
- Very high3 companies
- 1Very highHardware & devicesKawasakiJapan1875105kPrivate
Largest international patent holder in quantum communication and a leading commercial QKD vendor (multiplexed and twin-field QKD systems) deployed in BT's London network, in Korea and in Southeast Asia; taken private by JIP in 2023.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · Japan, Kawasaki · founded 1875 · 105k staff
- 2Very highHardware & devicesHefeiChina2009495688027
USTC spin-off that supplies QKD equipment for China's Beijing-Shanghai backbone and metro quantum networks; China Telecom Quantum Group became its controlling shareholder in 2025 and it stands here for that group.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · China, Hefei · founded 2009 · 495 staff
- 3Very highHardware & devicesCollege ParkUnited States2015–IONQ
Took control of ID Quantique, the Swiss pioneer of commercial QKD and QRNG (Clavis/Cerberis), in 2025 and also bought Qubitekk and Lightsynq; IDQ deployed Slovakia's national skQCI network.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, College Park · founded 2015
- High3 companies
- 4HighHardware & devicesShenzhenChina1987208kPrivate
Ranks among the top international patent applicants in quantum communication (CV-QKD and QKD network integration), with work done in Shenzhen and at its Düsseldorf research centre.
High relevance · Hardware & devices · China, Shenzhen · founded 1987 · 208k staff
- 5HighProfessional & data servicesTokyoJapan1899105k6701
Long-standing QKD system developer and a major patent holder; with NICT it built the Tokyo QKD Network and supplies QKD equipment for Japanese government links.
High relevance · Professional & data services · Japan, Tokyo · founded 1899 · 105k staff
- 6HighSystems integrationParisFrance189383kHO
Thales Alenia Space leads European space-QKD projects (TeQuantS, studies for the EuroQCI space segment and the IRIS2-linked quantum segment), and Thales integrates QKD into secure government networks.
High relevance · Systems integration · France, Paris · founded 1893 · 83k staff
- Moderate15 companies
- 7ModerateOperations & infrastructureBonnGermany1995198kDTE
T-Labs coordinates the EU OpenQKD and Petrus/EuroQCI work and holds a large quantum-communication patent portfolio; it runs QKD testbeds over its German fibre network.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Germany, Bonn · founded 1995 · 198k staff
- 8ModerateOperations & infrastructureTokyoJapan1952–9432
NTT Basic Research Labs developed differential-phase-shift QKD and quantum-repeater research and works on all-photonic quantum network concepts under its IOWN programme.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Japan, Tokyo · founded 1952
- 9ModerateOperations & infrastructureSeoulSouth Korea1984–017670
Korea's leading QKD operator: it owned ID Quantique until the 2025 IonQ deal, has QKD on its 5G backbone, and sells QKD/QRNG-secured services and quantum-random-number chips.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · South Korea, Seoul · founded 1984
- 10ModerateOperations & infrastructureLondonUnited Kingdom1846–BT.A
With Toshiba it launched the world's first commercial metro quantum-secured network trial in London (2022) and runs the UK Quantum Network testbeds with academic partners.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United Kingdom, London · founded 1846
- 11ModerateOperations & infrastructureBetzdorfLuxembourg1985–SESG
Leads the ESA/EU EAGLE-1 consortium building Europe's first sovereign space-based QKD satellite and works with SpeQtral on quantum-secure satellite communications.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Luxembourg, Betzdorf · founded 1985
- 12ModerateHardware & devicesSan JoseUnited States198486kCSCO
Cisco Quantum Labs developed an entanglement-source chip and quantum network software stack in 2025, and Cisco routers support QKD key delivery through its SKIP protocol.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, San Jose · founded 1984 · 86k staff
- 13ModerateComponents & subsystemsCharlotteUnited States1906102kHON
Honeywell Aerospace (Canada) is prime contractor for the Canadian Space Agency's QEYSSat quantum key distribution satellite.
Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · United States, Charlotte · founded 1906 · 102k staff
- 14ModerateOperations & infrastructureParisFrance1988127kORA
Coordinates France's FranceQCI part of EuroQCI and runs QKD trials on its fibre network; Orange Business has launched quantum-safe network offers.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · France, Paris · founded 1988 · 127k staff
- 15ModerateHardware & devicesEspooFinland186578kNOKIA
Builds QKD-ready optical transport and encryptors and has integrated QKD from IDQ and Toshiba into operator networks, e.g. Proximus in Belgium and Colt.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · Finland, Espoo · founded 1865 · 78k staff
- 16ModerateHardware & devicesHuntsvilleUnited States1985–ADTN
Adtran Holdings (Oscilloquartz)Its German arm Adtran Networks (ex-ADVA) makes FSP 3000 optical encryptors with QKD integration and leads EU quantum-network projects for EuroQCI.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Huntsville · founded 1985
- 17ModerateHardware & devicesCanberraAustralia2008–Private
Australia's leading quantum-cybersecurity firm, making continuous-variable QKD systems and qStream quantum random number generators.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · Australia, Canberra · founded 2008
- 18ModerateHardware & devicesSingaporeSingapore2017––
Builds the SpeQtre and SpeQtral-1 satellite QKD missions (with NanoAvionics and Mbryonics) and partners with Toshiba and SES on Southeast Asian quantum-secure links.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · Singapore, Singapore · founded 2017
- 19ModerateHardware & devicesBrooklynUnited States2017––
Makes telecom-ready entanglement sources and polarisation compensation hardware and runs the GothamQ entanglement-distribution testbed over New York fibre.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Brooklyn · founded 2017
- 20ModerateComponents & subsystemsCambridgeUnited Kingdom2018––
Builds quantum networking units and photonic interconnects to entangle quantum processors, and has worked on UK QKD satellite and telecom projects.
Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · United Kingdom, Cambridge · founded 2018
- 21ModerateComponents & subsystemsDelftNetherlands2012–Private
Makes superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, a key component in high-rate and long-distance QKD and quantum network experiments.
Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · Netherlands, Delft · founded 2012
- Low21 companies
- 22LowOperations & infrastructureMadridSpain1924–TEF
Operates the Madrid Quantum Communication Infrastructure (MadQCI) testbed with UPM and is a partner in Spain's EuroQCI deployment.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Spain, Madrid · founded 1924
- 23LowOperations & infrastructureSeongnamSouth Korea1981–030200
Built Korea's national QKD testbed networks for the government and develops its own QKD and hybrid QKD-PQC systems.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · South Korea, Seongnam · founded 1981
- 24LowSoftware & platformsLondonUnited Kingdom2017–ARQQ
Holds a large international patent portfolio from its original satellite-QKD plans; it has since moved to terrestrial symmetric-key agreement software, so its current activity is at the edge of this capability.
Low relevance · Software & platforms · United Kingdom, London · founded 2017
- 25LowSoftware & platformsBethesdaUnited States2018––
Its Phio TX key-delivery platform is vendor-agnostic and combines QKD with PQC; it has a Middle East and Africa distribution deal with Spire Solutions.
Low relevance · Software & platforms · United States, Bethesda · founded 2018
- 26LowSoftware & platformsBostonUnited States2019––
Supplies AliroNet entanglement-based quantum network design, simulation and orchestration software, used for EPB's Chattanooga quantum network.
Low relevance · Software & platforms · United States, Boston · founded 2019
- 27LowOperations & infrastructureChattanoogaUnited States1935–State-owned
Municipal utility that runs EPB Quantum Network, the first commercially available quantum network in the US, built with Qubitekk and Aliro.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United States, Chattanooga · founded 1935
- 28LowSystems integrationArlingtonUnited States1916172kBA
Developing the Q4S demonstration satellite to test entanglement swapping in orbit for space-based quantum networking.
Low relevance · Systems integration · United States, Arlington · founded 1916 · 172k staff
- 29LowOperations & infrastructureSeoulSouth Korea1996–032640
Deploys hybrid QKD/PQC-secured leased lines and backbone links in Korea; the related LG Electronics is a top quantum-communication patent applicant.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · South Korea, Seoul · founded 1996
- 30LowHardware & devicesFuerthGermany2020––
Develops chip-based continuous-variable QKD systems aimed at European certification and EuroQCI deployments.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Germany, Fuerth · founded 2020
- 31LowHardware & devicesJenaGermany2021––
Fraunhofer IOF spin-off building entanglement-based QKD systems for German government and EuroQCI networks.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Germany, Jena · founded 2021
- 32LowHardware & devicesCastelldefelsSpain2021––
ICFO spin-off whose NOVA LQ CV-QKD systems are used in EuroQCI projects and supplied Brazil's first CV-QKD link at SENAI CIMATEC.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Spain, Castelldefels · founded 2021
- 33LowHardware & devicesBristolUnited Kingdom2016––
University of Bristol spin-out developing integrated-photonic chip-based QKD and QRNG for telecom and defence.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · United Kingdom, Bristol · founded 2016
- 34LowHardware & devicesViennaAustria2023––
IQOQI-linked start-up selling entanglement-based QKD systems for links up to about 350 km; it raised about EUR 10M in 2025 and won a Spanish QKD tender.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Austria, Vienna · founded 2023
- 35LowHardware & devicesFlorenceItaly2020––
QTI (Quantum Telecommunications Italy)CNR-INO spin-off whose QKD systems secured TIM's first quantum-safe data-centre link in Milan and MEO's Lisbon terrestrial and submarine QKD deployment (both with Telsy).
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Italy, Florence · founded 2020
- 36LowHardware & devicesJerusalemIsrael–––
HEQA Security (formerly QuantLR)Israel's main QKD maker, a Hebrew University spin-off; it is making Bezeq's fibre network quantum-secure.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Israel, Jerusalem
- 37LowHardware & devicesBengaluruIndia2016––
India's leading QKD and QRNG maker (Armos QKD, Tropos QRNG) and a supplier under India's National Quantum Mission and to defence.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · India, Bengaluru · founded 2016
- 38LowOperations & infrastructureSingaporeSingapore1879–Z74
Operates one of Singapore's National Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) networks, offering QKD-secured enterprise connectivity.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Singapore, Singapore · founded 1879
- 39LowHardware & devicesMoscowRussia2015–Private
Russian Quantum Center spin-off that makes the decoy-state BB84 QKD systems used on Russian Railways' quantum backbone and in the Russia-China satellite QKD exchange.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Russia, Moscow · founded 2015
- 40LowHardware & devicesVilniusLithuania2014–Private
Lithuanian smallsat maker (owned by Kongsberg) that supplies the satellite bus and integration for SpeQtral's SpeQtral-1 QKD satellite mission.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Lithuania, Vilnius · founded 2014
- 41LowComponents & subsystemsGlasgowUnited Kingdom2017––
Space-engineering firm building QKD payloads and terminals for UK and European quantum satellite missions such as SPOQC and ROKS.
Low relevance · Components & subsystems · United Kingdom, Glasgow · founded 2017
- 42LowHardware & devicesCoquitlamCanada2016––
Demonstrated distributed entanglement between silicon spin-photon modules over telecom fibre, work aimed at a quantum internet and networked quantum computing.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Canada, Coquitlam · founded 2016
- Very low8 companies
- 43Very lowHardware & devicesDelftNetherlands2022––
Falqon Systems (formerly Q*Bird)QuTech spin-off making Falqon MDI-QKD hub-and-spoke network equipment; Port of Rotterdam is its first commercial customer. It renamed itself from Q*Bird in 2026.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Netherlands, Delft · founded 2022
- 44Very lowOperations & infrastructureMoscowRussia2003–State-owned
Under the national quantum-communications roadmap it is building and operating Russia's intercity trusted-node QKD backbone, which runs several thousand kilometres.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Russia, Moscow · founded 2003
- 45Very lowOperations & infrastructureIstanbulTürkiye1994–TCELL
With ID Quantique it ran the first terrestrial intercontinental QKD over fibre across the Bosporus (2025), and with Juniper it tested QKD-secured 5G backhaul.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Türkiye, Istanbul · founded 1994
- 46Very lowOperations & infrastructureAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates1976–EAND
e& (Emirates Telecommunications Group)Launched the QuantumConnect commercial QKD-secured connectivity service in 2025 with TII and VentureOne, using TII's in-house QKD technology on UAE fibre.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi · founded 1976
- 47Very lowOperations & infrastructureDohaQatar1987–ORDS
Set up Qatar's first QKD link over its core dark-fibre network (2026) with HBKU, the Ministry of Defence and ID Quantique.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Qatar, Doha · founded 1987
- 48Very lowOperations & infrastructureKuala LumpurMalaysia1984–4863
Provided the fibre for Malaysia's first 52 km QKD channel, demonstrated with MIMOS and ID Quantique in 2025.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur · founded 1984
- 49Very lowResearch & IPKuala LumpurMalaysia1985–State-owned
Malaysia's government-owned applied-research company; it leads the national QKD demonstrations, including the 52 km link, and is planning QKD-as-a-Service.
Very low relevance · Research & IP · Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur · founded 1985
- 50Very lowOperations & infrastructureRiyadhSaudi Arabia––Private
Salam (Integrated Telecom Company)Telecom member of KACST's Saudi Quantum Network consortium, which is developing QKD systems and a national quantum communications backbone, alongside Aramco Digital's Cybrani and Cisco.
Very low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
