https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt/s40507-026-00470-6
Research
Quantum-secured device-independent global positioning system
1
Quantum Theory Group, Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica Emilio Segrè, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 36, 90123, Palermo, Italy
2
Department of Electrophysics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 1001, Daxue Rd. East Dist, 300093, Hsinchu, Hsinchu, Taiwan
a
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
12
April
2025
Accepted:
13
January
2026
Published online:
20
January
2026
Abstract
We propose a device-independent quantum GPS protocol that employs multipartite Bell nonlocality to self-test a ![Mathematical equation: $[[5,1,3]]$](/articles/epjqt/abs/2026/01/40507_2026_Article_470/40507_2026_Article_470_tex_eq1.png)
five-qubit entangled state distributed to four satellites and one ground station, providing robust security against cyberattacks. Leveraging quantum rigidity, the protocol removes reliance on device assumptions, thereby bolstering GPS resilience. In the NISQ era, we compare superconducting (98.4% fidelity, 216 ns gate time) and trapped-ion (99.8% fidelity, 483 μs gate time) platforms for five-qubit code generation, and analyze photonic distribution over 20,200 km with 
attenuation, underscoring the necessity of LEO constellations or quantum repeaters for a scalable quantum GPS protocol.
Key words: Quantum self-test / GPS security / Five-qubit code / Multipartite quantum communication
© The Author(s) 2026
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
