In 2022, the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) provided approximately BRL 3 million in initial funding for the Rio Quântica project, Brazil’s first experimental metropolitan quantum communication network. Based in Rio de Janeiro, the network connects the Brazilian Center for Physics Research (CBPF), the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), and the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).
According to Revista Pesquisa FAPESP, the network uses both fiber optic cables and a free-space laser link spanning 6.8 kilometers over Guanabara Bay between UFF and CBPF. The Military Institute of Engineering (IME) is also planned as a node. The project aims to test quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, developing national technologies for secure quantum communication.
Additional quantum metropolitan networks were also initiated in Recife and São Carlos with funding from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), representing Brazil’s first steps toward qubit-based communications systems.