Handheld quantum wireless for financial transactions

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Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a cryptographic scheme which provides an unprecedented level of data security. It can be used to secure financial transactions over ATM machines and wireless payments. Our porject seeks to develop a free-space, handheld (credit-card size), steerable QKD system prototype to secure a real-world bank/payment transaction.Our industrial lead, Cognizant Technology Solutions (a Fortune 500 company), has over 20 years of experience in digital finance transaction processing and information security. Cognizant brings to table extensive knowledge of processing logic involved in trade, cards, payments and other instruments. They also understand how to handle client confidential and PII (Personal) data securely using current encryption technologies. To give an indication of scale, they have 2,000 IT professionals in security practice and 100,000 in financial services globally. Out of this, 5,000 are based out of UK and Cognizant has the mechanism in place to build capability locally. University of Bristol is a pioneer in quantum communication, notably being the first to demonstrate free-space quantum transmission in 1990. (?) University of Oxford has a strong track record in optical wireless steering techniques, including inventing the current fastest indoor optical wireless system, as well as record setting QKD field trials.This Consortium understands real-world banking transaction needs and has the knowledge in developing novel optical techniques to tailor make a practical handheld QKD system, completed with suitable hardware-to-user interface and a software stack for commercial deployment. We seek the opportunity to show the world that not only UK is leading QKD in academic research, we are also at the forefront of quantum technology development. Using real bank/payment transaction data, this project will demonstrate the world's first QKD usage in wireless financial application.