In March 2025, the South China Morning Post reported that China established its first hacker-proof quantum communications link with South Africa, a milestone in ultra-secure communications. This achievement brings the world closer to an intercontinental communications service that would make hacking into financial, national defense, military, or other communications nearly impossible. The latest feat was made possible by the realization of secure real-time communication between low-cost micro-nano quantum satellites and mobile ground stations. The first quantum demonstration, spanning 12,800 km (7,954 miles) between Beijing and South Africa, was made possible with the help of China's quantum communications satellites. A paper describing the method is expected to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature in mid-March, according to National People's Congress (NPC) lawmaker Yin Juan, a scientist and professor of experimental physics at the University of Science and Technology of China, who conducted the experiment.
We carried out an OSINT search and found specific information on the experiment carried out and the technical equipment used. The Micius satellite (also called Mozi) has verified the feasibility of satellite quantum communications; However, to implement Beijing's plans on schedule, scaling up quantum satellite constellations is a challenge, requiring small lightweight satellites, portable ground stations, and secure real-time key exchange. Chinese scientists have addressed these challenges and reported that they have developed a quantum microsatellite capable of performing space-to-ground QKD using portable ground stations. The quantum microsatellite has a payload of around 23kg, while the portable ground station weighs around 100kg. These weights represent reductions of more than one order and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to the Micius (also known as Mozi) satellite used in the experiment.
In any case, the result forms a solid foundation for future plans to launch multiple microsatellites and build a vast network of ground-based portable OGS, leading China towards the realization of a practical quantum constellation that can offer quantum access services to users around the world. Beijing, in fact, aims to launch an ultra-secure global communications service by 2027, after completing its constellation of quantum microsatellites.
By Gabriele and Nicola Iuvinale
In March 2025, il South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China established its first hacker-proof quantum communications link with South Africa, a milestone in ultra-secure communications.
China has extended ultra-secure communication to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time using a quantum key distribution link with South Africa, according to a senior scientist involved in the project.
This achievement brings the world closer to an intercontinental communications service that would make hacking into financial, national defense, military, or other communications nearly impossible.
Yin Juan, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC) and a scientist and professor of experimental physics at the University of Science and Technology of China, made the announcement at the NPC's annual plenary meeting in Beijing in March.
The first quantum demonstration, spanning 12,800 km (7,954 miles) between Beijing and South Africa, was made possible with the help of China's quantum communications satellites.
“It is also the first time that this kind of secure quantum key distribution experiment has been implemented in the Southern Hemisphere,” added Yin, who was one of the lead designers of the payload for the world's first quantum communications satellite, Mozi, also known as Micius, launched in 2016 to begin long-distance quantum transmissions.
In 2017, scientists used the satellite to make a secure “quantum call” and send images between China and Austria over a distance of 7,600 km.
The latest feat was made possible by "achieving secure real-time communication between low-cost quantum micro-nano satellites and mobile ground stations," Yin said.
Quantum communication offers a secure means of transferring information, exploiting components of quantum mechanics in a way that prevents eavesdropping.
One type of quantum communication is quantum key distribution, a cryptographic protocol that relies on the generation and distribution of a secret key shared between parties to secure communication.
According to Yin, a paper describing the method is expected to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature in mid-March.
We carried out an OSINT search and found specific information on the experiment carried out and the technical equipment used.
In practice, a network quantum provides an infrastructure that connects quantum devices with revolutionary computing, sensing and communication capabilities. As the best-known application of a quantum network, quantum key distribution (QKD) shares secure keys guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics. A constellation of quantum satellites offers a solution to facilitate quantum networking on a global scale. The Micius satellite tested the feasibility of satellite quantum communications; However, scaling up quantum satellite constellations is a challenge, requiring small lightweight satellites, portable ground stations, and secure real-time key exchange. Chinese scientists have addressed these challenges and reported that they have developed a quantum microsatellite capable of performing space-to-ground QKD using portable ground stations. The quantum microsatellite features a payload weighing approximately 23 kg, while the portable ground station weighs approximately 100 kg. These weights represent reductions of more than one order and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to the Micius satellite.
Additionally, they multiplexed satellite-to-ground two-way optical communication with quantum communication, enabling key distillation and secure real-time communication. Using microsatellite and portable ground stations, they demonstrated satellite-based QKD with multiple ground stations and achieved sharing of up to 0.59 million bits of secure keys during a single satellite pass. The compact quantum payload can be easily assembled on existing space stations or small satellites, paving the way for a quantum network based on satellite constellations for widespread real-life applications.
In summary, Chinese scientists have achieved remarkable success in designing, developing and launching 500 kbit packages, which represent a compromise between a lightweight microsatellite with a payload weight of 22.7 kg, significantly lighter than conventional satellites. On land, transmission occurred thanks to portable 100 kg class OGS positioned in the urban areas of Jinan, Hefei, Wuhan and Nanshan.
This achievement forms a solid foundation for future plans to launch multiple microsatellites and build a large network of ground-based portable OGS, leading China towards realizing a practical quantum constellation that can offer quantum access services to users around the world.
Technology is one of the industries of the future which Beijing has been focusing on this year, according to a draft economic and social development plan issued by the National Development and Reform Commission during its annual plenary session.
In the global race to develop quantum communications, Chinese scientists have made several advances in recent years, including using the Mozi satellite (also called Micius) and a network of ground stations to establish secure communications between Russia and China.
China intends to exploit its quantum satellites to establish secure communications between emerging markets in the Brics block, which also includes South Africa.
The Chinese physicist Pan Jianwei, known as the “father of quantum physics” who built the Mozi satellite, said the country aims to launch an ultra-secure global communications service by 2027 after completing its constellation of quantum satellites.
The competition in quantum computing technology is essentially a global national scientific and technological strength game.
In his speech at the NPC, Yin made several recommendations on how China could approach quantum research and development to become a world leader in the field, including increasing investment in basic research and promoting a development pipeline from basic to applied research.
He added that China's policy to attract and develop skilled talent should be optimized to better train experts in the field of quantum computing technology and to help attract top international scientists to China.
Since science and technology is "still a global issue", China should promote high-level international exchanges and cooperation in quantum technology, Yin said.
Helping formulate international quantum standards could help China master the "power of speech" for a future global quantum communications network, he said.
Comments