Quantum cryptography will soon revolutionize the world for every business that wants to keep its data traffic totally secure. The revolutionary technology has been developed by id Quantique, a small company created by Geneva University.

The first commercial pilot link to use the technology is soon to be put to the test by an IT company in Geneva. According to id Quantique, it will be a world first.

Every day, huge quantities of information travel across the world’s fiber-optic networks. Optimum security is needed for the transmission of confidential data, from banks or security services for example. Currently, these data transfers are kept secure thanks to conventional cryptography, whereby information is locked by encoding it. But even the toughest lock is useless if someone - using the right computer equipment - manages to “discover” the key. So key exchange security is the central problem in conventional cryptography.

id Quantique looked for a solution to the problem in one of the fundamental principles of the area of physics known as quantum mechanics: if a pair of photons (light particles) is configured in a particular way (they are said to be “intricated”), it is impossible to act on the system without disturbing it. The researchers then quickly realized the potential for applying this principle to information technology. In their laboratory, they use two boxes stuffed with electronics, one – nicknamed Bob – the transmitter of a message, the other – Alice – there to receive it. The encrypted message travels across a fiber-optic cable. For Bob and Alice, the problem is then how to distribute with absolute security the key that allows the message to be decrypted. In fact the key consists of these intricated photons. And according to the scientific experts, this makes the transmission unbreakable. Indeed, if a third party tries to intercept the exchange, the configuration of the photon pair changes immediately. This information is relayed to Bob and Alice straightaway, telling them they have an eavesdropper; they are therefore able to take appropriate action.

This technology, chosen by the Boston MIT’s Technology Review as “one of the ten emerging technologies that will change the world”, is currently working in a laboratory setting. In September, it will be tested on an existing urban fiber-optic network. If the test is successful, id Quantique, which is in competition with American company MagiQ, would be the first to take the last step towards a possible commercial launch of the product. After that, it would be tested in the market. A market that the vice-president of MagiQ, in an article published in October 2003 in The Economist weekly magazine, reckons could be worth a billion dollars in the future.

For more information, please visit website:

http://www.idquantique.com