Quantum Teleportation Goes Live in Berlin
The Berlin quantum teleportation experiment represented the first practical test of core components required for a future teleportation service. © Telekom
Quantum teleportation sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi movie. But in January 2026, it happened on a real street in Berlin, using ordinary fiber optic cables. According to a press release from Deutsche Telekom, T-Labs (the company's R&D division) and U.S. quantum networking firm Qunnect successfully teleported quantum information across 30 kilometers of live commercial fiber, right alongside regular data traffic.
The experiment achieved an average fidelity of 90%, peaking at 95%. That means quantum states were recreated at the destination with remarkable accuracy, without physically moving any particle. Instead, the process relies on quantum entanglement: a phenomenon where two particles remain linked regardless of distance.
Why does this matter? Quantum teleportation is a core building block for the future quantum internet, which promises next-level secure communication and distributed quantum computing. It could connect quantum computers across cities, pool their processing power, and lay the groundwork for a new generation of cloud-based quantum services.
Qunnect's Carina platform handled the entanglement generation and noise compensation needed to make it all work in a noisy, real-world network environment. The trial used a wavelength compatible with neutral-atom quantum computers and atomic clocks, making future integration into broader quantum infrastructure more straightforward.
Berlin's role here is no coincidence. Deutsche Telekom's quantum testbed in the city is emerging as a key site for advancing deployable quantum technology in Europe. Next steps include multi-node configurations and longer transmission distances within metro-scale networks.