The Explainer: What is Quantum Communication?

(TechnologyReview) Researchers and companies are creating ultra-secure communication networks that could form the basis of a quantum internet. “The Explainer”, Martin Giles is once more explaining how aspects of quantum technology will work and for what purposes.
Quantum Key Distribution: QKD involves sending encrypted data as classical bits over networks, while the keys to decrypt the information are encoded and transmitted in a quantum state using qubits.
Quantum Repeaters: Quantum repeaters, or waystations with quantum processors in them that would allow encryption keys to remain in quantum form as they are amplified and sent over long distances.
Quantum Teleportation: Quantum teleportation works by creating pairs of entangled photons and then sending one of each pair to the sender of data and the other to a recipient.
Quantum Internet: This would be a globe-spanning network of networks. The big difference between this and today’s internet is that the underlying communications networks would be quantum ones. China is in the vanguard of the push toward a quantum internet.