The fifth anniversary of the establishment of Xiongan New Area, quantum communication helps the construction of smart cities

April 1 marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Xiongan New Area. As another new area of national significance after Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai Pudong New Area, Xiongan New Area is at the forefront of the country in the application of emerging technologies, including quantum communication technology. Quantum communication utilizes the characteristics of quantum unclonability and uncertainty, and plays an important role in ensuring network information security.

As early as February this year, at the Quantum Communication Technology Application Seminar held at the Xiongan New Area Quantum Communication Technology Application Research Joint Laboratory (Application Demonstration Center), Xiongan New Area announced the completion of a series of "quantum+" application demonstrations. At present, China Unicom United Nations Network Xiong'an New District Power Supply Company, Zhejiang Jiuzhou, Hengtong Wentian and other units have carried out research, and built quantum key cloud platform, QKD quantum key distribution network and other systems, which can provide quantum security services for various industries. It has been used in power cluster intercom, drone inspection and other scenarios.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Xiongan New Area, CGTN (China International Television) had a dialogue with Wang Ti, director of the Xiongan Quantum Communication Technology and Application Research Laboratory (Application Demonstration Center) and CTO of China Unicom Smart City Research Institute. See how quantum technology can secure communications in cities and the rest of China. For clarity and brevity, the following are excerpts from the interview with Wang Ti:

雄安新区成立五周年，量子通信助力智慧城市建设

On March 30, 2022, Wang Ti, director of the Quantum Communication Technology and Application Research Laboratory (Application Demonstration Center) in Xiongan New Area, was interviewed by CGTN.

CGTN: Quantum technology is a fairly abstract concept. Can you explain what it is and how we use it?

Wang: The reason why it is difficult for people to understand quantum technology is because "quantum" describes the microscopic world. It is characterized by its unclonable theorem and especially its uncertainty. In our macro world, most things are fixed and deterministic. In recent years, quantum research has developed rapidly, and three application areas have been derived: quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum measurement.

CGTN: The Quantum Laboratory in Xiongan New Area focuses on quantum communication research. What are the characteristics of this field?

Wang: The most important feature of quantum communication is confidentiality. We propose a smart city initiative that combines cyberspace and physical space with quantum security to facilitate quantum-secure communications. Along this route, we have developed and deployed a quantum key cloud platform, extending the cloud services of quantum cryptography, providing a truly secure solution for smart city application scenarios.

CGTN: What are the application scenarios of quantum communication?

Wang: Quantum communication has a wide range of application scenarios. The most commonly used is quantum cryptography. It can be used in every segment of communication. For example, we are using video calls a lot during the pandemic. Some online government meetings or individuals require confidentiality. If the call is quantum encrypted, there will be two cases when monitoring it. First, the meeting is interrupted so that both parties can notice, and second, even if the information is intercepted, it cannot be deciphered.

CGTN: What is the current and future application plan of quantum communication in Xiongan New Area?

Wang: Based on the existing foundation of Xiongan, we first built a quantum key cloud platform. On this basis, we developed applications such as voice call encryption and drone control information. In the future, we will add quantum cryptography to applications between driverless vehicles and mobile phones. Just as we explored 5G+ and Internet+ for the first time, we need to go through the process of adaptation and exploration for each vertical industry. We also hope to extend some of Xiongan's quantum application results to other parts of China. In this way, we can promote technological innovation in Xiongan, as well as facilitate the application and industrialization of quantum communication in China.