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Battelle has secured a five-year deal with the city of Dublin in Ohio to utilize its fiber optic network in testing the data transfer functions of ID Quantique‘s Quantum Key Distribution hardware.
Battelle said Wednesday its quantum communication researchers have been given permission to use the city’s dubLINK fiber optic ring and other available cables for free to conduct the test beginning in early 2015.
“We will continue to leverage dubLINK in this fashion to attract high tech projects and companies who depend on extensive broadband infrastructure,” said Dana McDaniel, economic development director of Dublin, who noted the network’s design to work as a research platform.
The test is also part of Battelle’s efforts to expand the reach of fiber optic cables by establishing so-called “trusted nodes,” the nonprofit said.
“Battelle is developing a scalable architecture with ID Quantique . . . that will enable QKD to operate at any distance, making large scale implementation possible and practical,” said Don Hayford, a senior research leader in the Battelle QKD program.
“This is one reason why testing on dubLINK is so important.”
Battelle is currently operating its own QKD network to transfer data such as financial reports, drawings and designs between its Columbus-based headquarters and Dublin manufacturing facilities.
Battelle also plans to connect its Washington, D.C. and other central Ohio offices through the fiber optic network in the future.
