Probabilistic photon sources (PPSs) are the most mature quantum light sources and offer a practical route toward a quantum-repeater-based quantum internet. However, the intrinsic noise from multiphoton emission has hindered the construction of global-scale quantum repeaters with multiple elementary links. Recently, the multiplexed quantum repeater protocol based on time measurements (MQR-TM) combined high heralding rates with phase robustness in entanglement generation, making it compatible with both fiber and free-space quantum channels. Nevertheless, scaling MQR-TM to multiple links remains challenging because intrinsic multiphoton noise compromises the faithful swapping and further distribution of temporal entanglement. Here, we develop an efficient time-to-polarization conversion method and incorporate polarization-encoded entanglement swapping into MQR-TM, which filters intrinsic noise while preserving the efficient and phase-robust temporal entanglement generation. Furthermore, by using free-space backbone channels to minimize the nesting level, we show that this MQR-TM-based architecture attains a subhertz entanglement distribution rate over 10 000 km with a fidelity exceeding 90%, using feasible parameters for quantum memories and PPSs.

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• Quantum communication
• Quantum networks
• Quantum protocols
• Quantum repeaters