Earlier this year, the European Commission has selected the “QSAFE” consortium, led by Deutsche Telekom and including Thales, Thales Alenia Space, Telefónica, and the Austrian Institute of Technology, to design the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI).
QSAFE has now delivered the initial technical design, security analyses, and initial network dimensioning for the EuroQCI network.
The study, conducted over fifteen months, follows the ‘security-by-design’ approach and elaborates the basis for the deployment of a European quantum infrastructure considering fibre-based terrestrial as well as satellite-based components. It is the follow-up of a first feasibility phase conducted in 2020, with the same consortium led by Thales at that time.
The study is part of the European Union’s efforts to advance the development of independent and secure quantum communication technologies.
At the end of July 2021, Ireland was the last of the 27 EU Member States to sign the EuroQCI declaration, which is a commitment that the Member States, the European Commission and the European Space Agency together plan to jointly deploy a secure quantum communication infrastructure.
