In February 2024, Aircision, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), and CUbIQ Technologies unveiled the Netherlands' first permanent Terrestrial Optical Wireless Communications test bed. Named the Reid Photon Loop, the 5 km link connects High Tech Campus Eindhoven with the TU/e campus using infrared lightrather than fibre or radio.
Unlike a one-off demonstration, the Reid Photon Loop was built to last: a standing piece of infrastructure that Aircision, TU/e's Electro-Optical Communications Group, and their partners could return to repeatedly for interoperability testing, without setting up a new link from scratch each time.
The launch also introduced a new dimension to the partnership: quantum security. CUbIQ Technologies, an Eindhoven start-up developing a quantum-secure coherent engine, used the test bed to advance from lab-based trials of its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) prototype toward demonstrating that technology over a real, long-range, deployed link.
We are extremely proud to have this optical wireless test bed nearby to enable us and our partners to continue to advance the boundaries of seamless connectivity. —Robert Hughes, Aircision
Eduward Tangdiongga, who leads long-reach optical wireless communications research at TU/e, noted the test bed's role in supporting future network standards: the facility would enable TU/e to advance research into technologies supporting 6G, continuing its long-standing engagement with Aircision.
The Reid PhotonLoop went on to host the record-breaking 5.7 Tbps transmission Aircision and TU/e announced the following year, cementing its role as one of the most productive FSO test facilities in Europe.
FAQ
What is the Reid Photon Loop?
The Reid Photon Loop is a permanent 5 km optical wireless link between High Tech Campus Eindhoven and TU/e, launched in 2024 for ongoing free-space optics and quantum-security testing.
Quick facts
- Distance: 5 km
- Partners: Aircision, TU/e,CUbIQ Technologies
- Named facility: Reid PhotonLoop
- Funding: PhotonDelta NationalGrowth Fund, NWO Perspectief TTW, EIC Transition project CombTools
Original source
Sourced from: High Tech Campus Eindhoven (blog), 28 February 2024. https://blog.hightechcampus.com/htce/aircision-and-partners-connect-htce-to-tu/e-with-the-first-optical-wireless-communications-link-over-5-km
Also covered by
CUbIQ Technologies, "Connecting Beyond Boundaries: The City of Light's FirstOptical Wireless Communications Link over 5 km" (28 February 2024). https://cubiq-technologies.com/connecting-beyond-boundaries-the-city-of-lights-first-optical-wireless-communications-link-over-5-km/
