India achieves first free-space Quantum Key Distribution link over 5.56 km

Key facts

• India demonstrated its first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link over 5.56 km on the night of September 27-28, 2026, in a field trial by QNu Labs with BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar, announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• The secure quantum channel was established between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar using QNu Labs' Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking system, achieving a Quantum Bit Error Rate below 5 per cent and generating secure keys at 230-260 bits per second.
• The generated keys were integrated with BISAG-N's post-quantum cryptography-enabled Vedic Kavach platform, enabling end-to-end encryption and decryption of test messages alongside QNu Labs' hardware-based QKD device Armos.