{"id":184,"date":"2026-01-19T17:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T17:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/technologies\/quantum-technologies\/?page_id=184"},"modified":"2026-05-11T15:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:45:08","slug":"quantum-sensing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/technologies\/quantum-technologies\/quantum-sensing\/","title":{"rendered":"Quantum sensing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Quantum sensing<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Quantum sensors offer unprecedented precision in measuring magnetic and gravitational fields, light, time, and radio-frequency signals, delivering levels of accuracy and sensitivity that exceed the capabilities of traditional sensors.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Some quantum sensing applications are already commercially available, while others are rapidly maturing, creating new opportunities across navigation, infrastructure resilience, and smart environments. Quantum sensing technologies draw on range of atomic-level effects, including quantum entanglement, single-photon interactions, discrete energy states, and quantum coherence. Because these sensors rely on stable and invariant properties, they provide exceptional long-term accuracy and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quantum clocks and navigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use entangled atoms to achieve significant performance improvements over today\u2019s atomic clocks. This enables precise timing essential for network operation and enterprise application, supporting use cases such as carrier aggregation frame alignment, smart mobility, and fleet synchronisation. Quantum navigation measures magnetic and gravitational fields with extraordinary accuracy. When correlated with detailed geographic maps, these sensors can determine locations with exceptional accuracy, even in environments where GPS or connectivity is unavailable. This is vital for autonomous navigation, defence missions, infrastructure inspection, maintenance, and underground mapping.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Quantum RF sensors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use high-energy Rydberg atoms that are exceptionally sensitive to RF fields across all IMT bands \u2013 from UHF to THz. This could enable advanced spectrum monitoring, interference detection, real-time RF environment analytics, and future network integrated sensing and communication capabilities, potentially opening pathways to new RAN functionalities and products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Single-photon detectors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Convert individual incident photons into measurable electrical pulses and represent one of the most commercially mature quantum sensing technologies. Based on superconducting nanowires or semiconductor arrays, they support applications such as QKD, enhanced fibre sensing resolution, and extended range LIDAR for smart mobility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The role of telcos in distributed quantum sensing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Quantum sensors are interconnected through fibre networks, entanglement can further enhance sensitivity and precision, enabling distributed sensing applications at scale. With extensive fibre infrastructure and strong enterprise customer relationships, telcos are well positioned to support and deliver distributed quantum sensor networks across sectors including manufacturing, smart mobility, and environmental and scientific research. The earliest quantum sensors are already commercially available. By exploring applications and integration now, telcos can unlock value across network operations, smart facilities and mobility, infrastructure monitoring, and other emerging domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What is the status of quantum sensing for telcos?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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While some quantum sensors are commercially available, others have a longer timeline and require further development.

\u2022 Quantum clocks are becoming commercially available, with the first products delivered in recent years. Further work is required to ruggedize, miniaturise, and field test many systems, as well as test integration and scalability requirements.

\u2022 Quantum navigation is rapidly moving towards commercial availability, with multiple companies working with industry partners to perform field and flight trials.

\u2022 Quantum RF sensors are not yet commercially available, with the first widescale deployments expected in military contexts. Current systems have limited IBW and have not been tested in network contexts.

\u2022 Single-photon detectors are widely commercially available, with a number of high-performance modalities including semiconductor-based detectors, superconducting nanowires, and photomultiplier tubes. However, they have not been widely tested for telco applications \u2013 other than QKD.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Will quantum sensors replace traditional sensors?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Quantum sensors will not replace traditional approaches – it will complement and enhance them.
Traditional sensors will remain the backbone for most day-to-day applications, as they are efficient, cost-effective, and mature. Quantum sensing approaches will improve performance for specific tasks, like navigation in GPS-denied environments, ultra-precise timing applications, and next-generation RF monitoring.

In practice, the future will be hybrid: classical and quantum working together, with operators using the right method for the right job. This combination will deliver more powerful, efficient, and scalable applications than either technology alone.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Other key quantum technologies <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quantum computing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quantum communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Some quantum sensing applications are already commercially available, while others are rapidly maturing, creating new opportunities across navigation, infrastructure resilience, and smart environments. Quantum sensing technologies draw on range of atomic-level effects, including quantum entanglement, single-photon interactions, discrete energy states, and quantum coherence. Because these sensors rely on stable and invariant properties, they provide exceptional long-term accuracy and stability. The role […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nQuantum sensing - Quantum Technologies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Quantum sensors offer unprecedented precision, delivering levels of accuracy and sensitivity that exceed traditional sensors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/technologies\/quantum-technologies\/quantum-sensing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Quantum sensing - Quantum Technologies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Quantum sensors offer unprecedented precision, delivering levels of accuracy and sensitivity that exceed traditional sensors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/technologies\/quantum-technologies\/quantum-sensing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Quantum Technologies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-11T15:45:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/technologies\/quantum-technologies\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Quantum_header_2_616x450.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Quantum sensing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Quantum sensing - 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