BridgeComm has announced the successful demonstration of Quantum Encryption using its Optical Ground Modem. The company tested both AES-256 and Post Quantum Attack Resistant (PQC), Kyber-1024, Encryption between its internally developed Space Terminal Modem over a free space optical link to its Optical Ground Modem.
The trial demonstrated the system’s ability to securely transmit encrypted data under various scenarios and conditions, with the ability to close and maintain a connectivity link throughout the process. The test team also manually interrupted the system with short and long duration optical beams to test latency and was able to quickly recover and bring the free-space optical communication (FSOC) link back to normal operations with no visible lag time or degradation.
BridgeComm also demonstrated the system’s ability to perform various communications capabilities, including: web browsing, viewing videos on YouTube, placing and receiving VOIP calls, file transfer, and encrypted video calls with two layers of encryption.
"As we move into an increasingly data-driven future, the need for a new and augmented global communications infrastructure is growing exponentially. At the same time, the industry is working rapidly to develop and adopt post-quantum attack resistant encryption before supercomputing becomes a reality and encryption becomes defeatable," said Michael Abad-Santos, CEO of BridgeComm. "This is the first time Quantum Encryption has been demonstrated over FSOC, and particularly important to BridgeComm as government and industry increasingly look to our optical communications solution as a means of transporting vital information, securely and quickly."
BridgeComm's Optical Ground Modem is a critical component in the company's suite of optical wireless communication solutions that include space terminals, optical ground stations, and network management software. The technology is designed to provide high-speed, secure, and reliable connectivity for a range of applications, including satellite communications, earth observation, and remote sensing.
BridgeComm will offer fully integrated PQC on its optical space and ground modems, allowing customers to create post-quantum attack resistant FSOC networks.