Aliro Technologies and zerothird Partner with Cisco to Demonstrate Operational Quantum Networking with Entanglement-Based QKD

July 19, 2026

Business Wire USA

Overview

Aliro Technologies and zerothird, in collaboration with Cisco, successfully demonstrated an operational quantum network. This landmark achievement showcased real-time orchestration, monitoring, and automated security operations using entanglement-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) on existing Cisco infrastructure. This marks a crucial milestone in transitioning quantum networks from research to commercialization, representing a significant step toward a practical quantum internet.

In Depth

Key Findings

Aliro Technologies and zerothird, in a significant collaboration with networking giant Cisco, have successfully demonstrated an operational quantum network. This groundbreaking achievement validates the real-time operational capabilities of quantum networks beyond laboratory settings, leveraging existing, field-ready Cisco infrastructure.

Technical / Clinical Details

The demonstration utilized entanglement-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which involves securely sharing cryptographic keys using the quantum phenomenon of entanglement. On Cisco’s infrastructure, the team showcased real-time orchestration (resource allocation and management), monitoring, and automated security operations of the quantum network. This demonstrated the technical maturity required to establish and maintain secure communication channels across multiple nodes while preserving qubit states. Compared to traditional QKD systems, the entanglement-based approach offers enhanced security robustness and greater potential for future scalability into a quantum internet.

Background & Context

Quantum networking is anticipated to become a cornerstone of next-generation information and communication infrastructure, alongside other quantum technologies like quantum computing and quantum sensing. As the risk of conventional cryptographic systems being compromised by future quantum computers grows, QKD has emerged as a compelling, theoretically eavesdrop-proof security solution. This collaboration between Aliro, zerothird, and Cisco clearly indicates that quantum network technology is moving beyond theoretical research into practical solutions capable of addressing real-world business and security requirements.

Strategic Significance & Outlook

The successful demonstration of this operational quantum network represents a pivotal step towards the commercial deployment of the quantum internet. Enterprises and government agencies are expected to consider integrating quantum networks into areas demanding high security, such as financial transactions, confidential data transfer, and critical infrastructure control. Cisco’s involvement, as a leading network vendor, is poised to accelerate integration with existing IT infrastructures, facilitating the broader adoption of quantum networks. As technologies like quantum repeaters and quantum memories further mature, a more extensive and robust quantum internet is anticipated, opening doors to entirely new applications and services with unprecedented security and computational power.

Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714670769/en/Aliro-Technologies-and-zerothird-Demonstrate-Operational-Quantum-Networking-with-Cisco

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