Quantum internet leaves the lab: First real-world entanglement distribution over busy telecom fiber (news.northwestern.edu)

• First field demonstration of entanglement distribution over active telecom fiber
• 24.4 km link between Evanston and Chicago with 94% fidelity
• Simultaneous classical traffic at 1.6 Tbps (two 800-Gbps channels)
• Quantum signals in O-band, classical in C-band
• Picosecond synchronization via White Rabbit system

"Northwestern University researchers demonstrated quantum entanglement over a 24.4 km fiber optic cable between Evanston and Chicago while high-capacity internet traffic simultaneously occupied the same cable. Quantum signals remained intact with over 94% fidelity, showing a practical path to future quantum networks without dedicated infrastructure."