The quantum communication project of BeQCI, the consortium including Belnet, imec and Ghent University, has reached a new milestone. After the implementation of the first quantum communication infrastructure in Ghent last year, Belnet has now also successfully established a QKD link between Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: the very first cross-border MDI QKD connection, 45 km long, in the Benelux. Thanks to the integration of state-of-the-art technology from the Dutch company Q*Bird, the connection was extended to the European Space Agency in Redu, resulting in a total network distance of 132 kilometers.
In collaboration with Q*Bird and the Luxembourg QCI Lab project (LUQCIA), Belnet has built a quantum communication infrastructure consisting of a ‘central hub’ in the Belnet data center in Arlon and four ‘end nodes’ - Two of which are already active: one at the European Space Agency (ESA) site in Redu, Belgium, and another at the QCI lab at the University of Luxembourg in Kirchberg.
Since its deployment, the link has been securely exchanging encryption keys via quantum mechanics, allowing the parties connected to the end nodes to exchange quantum encrypted, and therefore 100 percent secure, communication with each other. This allows them to test this technology through concrete use cases.
"It’s a different technology than in Ghent, where we connected two locations via one dedicated line," says Jo Segaert, network engineer at Belnet. The aim is to test this new technology for other types of applications. Working with this technology via a central node can be more cost-efficient and, above all, scalable, as it allows us to connect additional nodes later."
In the longer term, the connection of the ESA site in Redu also aims to test quantum communication, currently passing through physical fiber connections, via satellite as well.
State-of-the-art technology
The technology developed by the Dutch company Q*Bird is unique in Europe and was previously used for a QKD project in Rotterdam. Joshua Slater, CTO and Co-Founder of Q*Bird: "We’re very proud to take this crucial step, the development of a scalable quantum communication infrastructure in Belgium, together with Belnet in the BeQCI program, and to help pave the way towards Europe's cybersecurity infrastructure of the future.”
The BeQCI project is part of the European EuroQCI initiative, a large-scale technological and scientific project aiming to develop a European quantum communication network. In the short term, this network will build QKD applications and other cryptographic solutions that cannot be bypassed by a quantum computer. In the longer term, such a network could be used as the backbone for a quantum internet, which not only enables quantum encryption but also connections between quantum computers and many other applications.
"This milestone highlights the strength of collaboration between neighboring countries and brings us one step closer to a shared goal: a quantum-resistant, securely connected Europe," emphasizes Jorge Luis Gonzalez Rios, Technical Coordinator of the QCI Lab at the University of Luxembourg. "We are now preparing to explore interoperability between different QKD technologies, including the system introduced by Belnet, alongside platforms from other manufacturers already available in our lab, as well as our in-house developed Key Management System - an essential step to ensure future quantum networks are robust and versatile."
The project is funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU, with the collaboration of the Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy in the framework of the LUQCIA project.