Qunnect and Monarch Quantum partner to develop deployable quantum networking hardware. Insider Brief * Qunnect and Monarch Quantum announced a partnership to develop deployable and manufacturable quantum networking hardware for commercial, industrial, and defense applications. * The collaboration combines Qunnect's entanglement-based quantum networking systems with Monarch Quantum's photonic engineering and manufacturing capabilities. * The companies plan to develop more compact versions of Qunnect's Carina platform to support quantum networking deployments in environments including telecommunications, satellites, and edge infrastructure. Press release - Qunnect, a leader in quantum networking infrastructure, and Monarch Quantum, a quantum photonics company developing photonic engines for scalable quantum technologies, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the commercialization of deployable quantum networking infrastructure. Quantum networking distributes quantum entanglement across existing fiber-optic infrastructure, enabling fundamentally new capabilities including quantum-secure communications, distributed quantum computing, precision timing and synchronization, authenticated networking, and advanced sensing. As governments, defense organizations, and commercial enterprises accelerate investment in quantum technologies, demand is growing for deployable and manufacturable quantum networking systems that can operate reliably outside laboratory environments. The partnership combines Qunnect's field-proven quantum networking technology with Monarch Quantum's expertise in photonic system engineering, productization, miniaturization, and scalable manufacturing. Together, the companies will develop modular and manufacturable quantum networking hardware designed for deployment across commercial, industrial, defense, space, and critical infrastructure applications. The collaboration will support emerging quantum networking use cases identified through Qunnect's work by developing more compact and deployable variants of Carina, Qunnect's turnkey commercial entanglement distribution system introduced in 2024. These next-generation systems are intended to enable quantum networking installations in environments where size, weight, power consumption, and operational flexibility are critical. Potential use cases include satellites, edge computing infrastructure, defense platforms, remote facilities, telecommunications networks, and IoT environments. By combining Qunnect's leadership in entanglement-based quantum networking with Monarch Quantum's expertise in manufacturable quantum photonics, the companies aim to move quantum networking from specialized deployments toward scalable commercial infrastructure. "Qunnect has demonstrated that entanglement-based quantum networks are no longer confined to the lab; they are being deployed in the real world," said Noel Goddard, CEO of Qunnect. "Monarch Quantum brings deep expertise in photonic engineering, miniaturization, and scalable manufacturing, making them an ideal partner as we develop industry-relevant versions of our hardware. Together, we are building the infrastructure foundation for a global quantum internet and, along the way, enabling a new class of quantum-secure networking capabilities that classical networks cannot replicate." Today, Qunnect's Carina platform anchors quantum networking deployments on two continents. Entanglement-based quantum networking is expected to enable secure communications, network channel authentication, user authentication, position verification, precision timing and synchronization, distributed sensing, and the scaling of quantum computing through networked architectures. These capabilities are expected to become increasingly important as our classical infrastructure faces growing demands from advanced cyber threats, deepfakes, 5G/6G networks, and AI-driven systems. "Qunnect has built one of the clearest paths from quantum networking research to real-world deployment with a compelling vision for commercial adoption," said Dr. Timothy Day, Chairman & CEO of Monarch Quantum. "Our mission at Monarch Quantum is to transform advanced photonic systems into deployable, manufacturable, miniature platforms. By partnering with Qunnect, we are helping to accelerate the commercialization of quantum networking infrastructure and bring entanglement-based networking technology into the environments where it can have the greatest strategic and commercial impact." "Commercial quantum networking will require more than scientific breakthroughs," Goddard added. "It will require robust systems, deployable form factors, repeatable production, and scalable supply chains. That is exactly what this partnership is built to deliver." Mohib ur rehman. Covering quantum and emerging technologies, Mohib explores the intersection of technology, security, and society. His work also frequently examines surveillance infrastructure and the institutions shaping the digital world. In addition to his work at The Quantum Insider, he co-runs SK NEXUS, an independent technology publication that helps readers understand the technologies shaping their lives. Stay Ahead of Quantum Get the latest research, company news, and market intelligence every week. MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE More in Research

Qunnect and Monarch Quantum announce a partnership for commercializing and deploying quantum networking technologies using advanced manufacturing. Qunnect and Monarch Quantum have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the commercialization, miniaturization, and scalable manufacturing of entanglement-based quantum networking hardware. The collaboration combines Qunnect's field-deployed entanglement distribution technology with Monarch Quantum's expertise in photonic system engineering, product packaging, and scalable manufacturing. Together, the companies plan to build modular, ruggedized variants of Qunnect's Carina turnkey entanglement platform. Monarch has expertise in robotic, machine-vision guided manufacturing to improve cost, size, and reliability. In a photonic system it is important to reduce photon losses in the system as much as possible. Monarch's expertise in co-packaged optics and precise, repeatable, and reliable alignment of the components can provide significant improvements. They accomplish this using robotic assembly which provides much better results than manual assembly. Monarch will be transitioning to a 60,000 square foot facility in San Diego by the end of the year. They will also have a 8,000 square foot clean room expansion schedule for operation in September will contain 20 to 25 robotic assembly stations. For Qunnect, this will enable to them to reduce the cost and size of their systems by many times. The company currently offers a Carina turnkey entanglement distribution platform that includes photon generators, polarization compensators, photon detectors and other hardware housed in a 36U rack panel. With the improvements provided by the integrated photonics, the goal will be to reduce this to a 2U or 3U form factor, depending upon whether they can integrate non-cryogenic photon detectors into the optical packages. The next-generation hardware is designed for deployment in environments with strict size, weight, power, and operational constraints - including satellites, defense platforms, remote infrastructure, edge computing, telecommunications, and IoT environments. Future products for Qunnect would include a version of Carina, codenamed Orian, packaged with specific use cases. This could include Quantum Position Verification (QPV) to certify server or client locations, Quantum Alarm to monitor network security by detecting fiber tapping attempts and others. August 10, 2026