India launched a 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network in November 2025 for secure communications infrastructure. QKD uses principles of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute encryption keys that are theoretically unbreakable, as any eavesdropping attempt would disturb the quantum state and be immediately detectable.

The network is part of India's National Quantum Mission (NQM), launched in April 2023 with a budget of ₹6,003 crore for 2023-2031. The QKD network will primarily serve defence, banking, and critical government communications. India joins a small group of nations including China, the US, and the EU that have operational QKD networks.