India discloses results of 5.56-km open-air quantum-key trial

MeitY announced a Gandhinagar field test conducted on September 27–28; it demonstrated encryption-key exchange rather than an operational satellite network.

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3 October 2026 · 1 min read

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Report prepared 3 Oct 2026, 9:55 pm IST · Event date shown above

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MeitY announced a Gandhinagar field test conducted on September 27–28; it demonstrated encryption-key exchange rather than an operational satellite network.

Event / development: 3 Oct 2026
Location: Gujarat

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India’s electronics ministry disclosed on October 3 that QNu Labs, BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar had tested quantum-key distribution across a 5.56-km open-air link. The experiment took place on the night of September 27–28. The ministry’s statement was also reported by ANI and IANS on October 3.

The ministry reported a quantum bit error rate below 5% and secure-key generation of 230–260 bits per second. The keys were integrated with BISAG-N’s Vedic Kavach platform to encrypt and decrypt test messages.

The result concerns a field demonstration. Longer-distance and satellite applications remain development goals; the announcement does not establish that such networks are operational.