The first quantum internet system is being developed in Chicago
In recent years, advances in quantum teleportation have paved the way for the creation of quantum internet, which could radically transform global communication systems.
Scientists from Fermilab and the California Institute of Technology successfully transmitted the quantum state of photons over 44 kilometers of fiber-optic cable with over 90% accuracy.
Quantum teleportation is based on quantum entanglement, where particles remain interconnected even at long distances. This allows data to be transferred faster than traditional communication methods, almost instantly. Of course, physical objects aren’t transported as in science fiction — only their quantum state is transmitted.
The experiment used two quantum networks: CQNET and FQNET. The high accuracy indicates system stability, which is crucial for the technology's future development. This success came just months after the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to create a national quantum internet. Currently, the Fermilab team is working on the first such network in Chicago — the Illinois Express Quantum Network.
Earlier, in December 2024, scientists from Northwestern University in the U.S. successfully performed quantum teleportation through a 30.2 km fiber-optic cable, which was also used for conventional internet traffic. This proves that quantum and classical networks can be integrated into a single infrastructure.
These breakthroughs show that quantum internet is not a fantasy but an inevitable future, offering possibilities for ultra-secure data transmission, distributed computing, and new measurement methods.
