The Russian Government Commission on Digital Development approved a roadmap for quantum communications jointly developed by Russian Railways (RZD) and leading scientific organizations. The roadmap, the second strategic document on quantum technologies approved under the Digital Technologies federal project, provided for more than 120 measures and projects through 2024.
According to International Railway Journal, the roadmap covered the development of fiber-optic, atmospheric, and satellite quantum communications, the creation of commercial quantum communication networks and corresponding equipment, the development of subscriber devices, and the quantum Internet of Things. RZD Deputy General Director Sergey Kobzev stated that the company had created a quantum communications department following an agreement signed with the Russian government in 2019.
Plans included an experimental quantum network connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg over approximately 800 km. RZD’s existing fiber-optic infrastructure of more than 75,000 km across the country was cited as an asset for integration with quantum communication technologies. Deputy Minister of Digital Development Maxim Parshin said Russia had “every chance of developing competencies in this area and creating its own competitive quantum technologies.”