A multinational effort to secure Europe’s digital infrastructure has launched, as six organizations, Luxquanta, Quside, Chilas, fragmentiX, Telefónica, and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), have united to form the QUARTERNEXT consortium. The group will develop continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) systems, aiming for certifiable, industrial-grade technology and building on the success of the prior QUARTER initiative. Central to QUARTERNEXT’s mission is direct collaboration with the Nostradamus initiative, providing hardware and software as primary test vehicles for establishing European certification infrastructure for quantum-safe systems; this partnership offers a clear path toward validation and deployment, aligning with the EU’s EuroQCI initiative to interconnect member states via highly secure quantum networks and bolstering Europe’s technological sovereignty in photonics.
The emergence of QUARTERNEXT signals a focused, multinational push to translate quantum-safe communication demonstrations to certified, industrial deployment. Recognizing the increasing threat posed by advances in quantum computing, QUARTERNEXT directly addresses the need to safeguard critical infrastructure and aligns with the EU’s EuroQCI initiative for secure quantum networks across member states. The consortium’s strategy centers on the development of CV-QKD systems, with a clear emphasis on achieving formal certification. Building on the three-year success of the QUARTER initiative, which validated QKD integration across finance, healthcare, and cloud infrastructure, QUARTERNEXT aims to establish quantum-safe communications as a permanent part of Europe’s critical infrastructure. A key objective is to strengthen European technological sovereignty by developing EU-made quantum communication components, aligning with initiatives like PIXEurope to reduce reliance on non-European technologies in this vital domain; Sergi Vizcaíno, Dissemination Coordination for QUARTERNEXT, stated that “To strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and secure its critical supply chains, the consortium is committed to developing EU-made quantum communication components.” He can be reached at sergi.vizcaino@luxquanta.com.
Demand for robust data security is driving significant investment in quantum-safe communication technologies across Europe, with several initiatives now converging to accelerate practical deployment. This collaboration is unique in its composition, combining the agility of specialized SMEs with the infrastructure reach of a major telecom operator, Telefónica, and the research capacity of AIT, Austria’s largest research and technology organization. The consortium’s work focuses on validation through a key partnership with Nostradamus, the European initiative establishing certification infrastructure for quantum-safe systems, and extends to real-world testing, leveraging Telefónica’s TEFQCI quantum communication infrastructure to demonstrate multi-vendor interoperability and operation within live telecom networks.
By demonstrating multi-vendor interoperability in live telecom network environments, validating interoperability across vendors, demonstrating operation in live telecom network environments represented by Telefónica’s TEFQCI quantum communication infrastructure, and building the evidence base required for deployment in line with European security standards.
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