Jena, 01.03.2026 – A research consortium with strong Jena participation has successfully tested tap-proof quantum communication over existing fiber optic networks. The Universitätsklinikum Jena tested the encrypted data transfer for the telemedicine of the future.
- Project: Successful test of the quantum network „Q-net-Q“ over a total distance of 680 kilometers.
- Jenaer Participation: Fraunhofer IOF and Universitätsklinikum Jena (UKJ).
- Application: Telemedical data transmission (pulse, oxygen saturation) from Nordhausen to the UKJ.
- Special Feature: Use of classical fiber optic lines for high-security quantum keys.
Quantum Telemedicine at Universitätsklinikum Jena
To protect medically sensitive data from industrial espionage and hacker attacks in the future, research is increasingly relying on the laws of quantum physics. As part of the nationwide project „Q-net-Q“, a 150-kilometer regional test track was established between a so-called health kiosk in Sundhausen (Nordhausen) in northern Thuringia and the Saalestadt. The vital signs of a patient, including pulse and oxygen saturation, were transmitted via this line using quantum encryption.
At the Universitätsklinikum Jena, senior physician Dr. Albrecht Günther evaluated the incoming data on a tablet. The test run successfully demonstrated how high-security telemedicine can function practically and securely connect rural areas to medical centers in the future.
Jena as a hub in the nationwide quantum network
The Lichtstadt Jena also served as an important intermediate station in the large-scale project. A 680-kilometer, quantum-secured fiber optic connection stretched from the Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) in Berlin via Erfurt and Jena to the German internet exchange DE-CIX in Frankfurt am Main. Remarkable is the fact that existing, classical fiber optic networks could be used for the distribution of the so-called quantum keys („QKD“).
In addition to the Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik (IOF), the Hochschule Nordhausen also contributed significantly to the success. The „Q-net-Q“ project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research and the EU with 11.8 million euros, thus provides a blueprint for a future, tap-proof European quantum infrastructure.
Jena has developed into a European pioneer for quantum communication in recent years. Research institutions such as the Fraunhofer IOF on the Beutenberg-Campus are working intensively on technologies that guarantee absolute tap-proofing using entangled light particles (photons). Any eavesdropping attempt on such a connection changes the physical state of the particles and is immediately registered by the system. For the Universitätsklinikum in the district of Lobeda, which serves as the central medical maximum care provider for all of Thuringia, such secured connections open up completely new, legally secure paths in remote diagnostic patient care.
Source:
Quantum keys against eavesdroppers across Germany
Transparency Note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.