Video: World's first video call on quantum network

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Scientists in China and Austria have built a network with quantum encryption which they claim "unhackable", and made a video call with it.

The call was made on Friday between scientists in Beijing and Vienna, during which they sent congratulations to each other.

"Today is surely a big day for science and its application," said Bai Chunli, president of Chinese Academy of Sciences, during the video conference with researchers at the University of Vienna.

An attack simulator explaining how the network is "unhackable" in the Beijing control center of the quantum network. /CCTV Photo

Heinz W. Engl, the university's rector, also expressed excitement on the event. "[This] marks the beginning of an era of quantum communication," he said.

The call was achieved with a 2,000-km quantum communication line opened between Beijing and Shanghai on the same day.

The line is the world's first trunk line for secure quantum telecommunications, according to Xinhua. Known as the Jing-Hu, or Beijing-Shanghai, Trunk Line, it connects Beijing, Jinan, Hefei and Shanghai.

The line is connected to the world's first quantum satellite, which was launched by China in August last year, through a station in Beijing. The satellite is nicknamed "Micius," after a fifth century BC Chinese philosopher and scientist who has been credited as the first person to conduct optical experiments.

"The tests today for long-distance and multi-station communication show that our network is stable, compatible and good for practical use," said Pan Jianwei, lead scientist of the line.

"In the future, quantum communication will be applied in fields of finance, political affairs and national defense. We will build a whole industry chain and eventually build a truly secure quantum Internet," said Pan.