The German company will coordinate other suppliers, including Airbus DS, Thales SIX and AIT, in building EuroQCI, though the project will be called Petrus.
The company’s Daniela Theisinger (pictured) said: “As coordinator of the Petrus project, we are contributing towards making Europe a leader in quantum communication and bolstering the sovereignty and security of the EU’s communications.”
The European Commission aims to develop EuroQCI into a quantum internet, linking quantum processors and sensors and enabling an EU-wide distributed quantum computing and communication capability.
EuroQCI is a highly secure communication network which uses quantum key distribution (QKD) encryption methods. The initiative therefore forms an important pillar of a secure and efficient European communication network that is armed against the cyber-attacks of tomorrow.
This is one of the highest levels of public accreditation of quantum encryption so far, comparable with last November’s declaration by the White House that US federal agencies should “prepare now to implement post-quantum cryptography”.
Deutsche Telekom said that it expected early users of EuroQCI to be government agencies, which require a particularly high level of security to transmit confidential information. The project is not limited to EU institutions, but will be accessible by all 27 member countries.
Deutsche Telekom said: “In the future, the infrastructure will also accommodate functions for business and citizens, such as digital signatures, authentication and secure e-voting.”
Brussels-based Theisinger, a lawyer who is managing director of Deutsche Telekom Global Business in Belgium and Luxembourg, said: “This infrastructure will provide real benefit to citizens, businesses, and our European institutions.”
Deutsche Telekom said it will facilitate collaboration between industry and government as they develop EuroQCI projects in the 27 EU member states. “This close alignment is required to define shared technical standards and ensure seamless interoperability.”
