Fortifying Europe’s quantum communication - Q*Bird and BeQCI achieve the first cross-border MDI QKD link in Benelux
On June 5, 2025, in Delft, the BeQCI consortium (including Belnet, imec, Ghent University) and the Luxembourg QCI Lab (LUQCIA), in collaboration with Q*Bird, announced a major milestone in European cybersecurity. They successfully deployed a 132 km quantum key distribution (QKD) link connecting Belgium and Luxembourg—the first cross-border Measurement Device Independent QKD (MDI QKD) network in the Benelux region.
This network leverages Q*Bird’s Falqon® Series, a multi-user MDI QKD solution, connecting four nodes—central in Arlon, and end nodes at the University of Luxembourg’s QCI Lab in Kirchberg and the ESA facility in Redu—creating a scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient quantum communication infrastructure.
This achievement exemplifies European collaboration and innovation to combat quantum threats to data security, especially as quantum computers threaten classical cryptography. QKD uses quantum principles to detect eavesdropping and ensure secure key exchange. Q*Bird’s MDI QKD further enhances security by eliminating vulnerabilities in detection devices.
The deployment supports the EU’s EuroQCI initiative to build a secure, scalable quantum communication network across member states. It also enables interoperability testing crucial for developing a European quantum internet.
Looking ahead, this infrastructure will support quantum-resistant cryptography applications and lay the foundation for a future quantum internet, ensuring data security amid advancing quantum computing. The project underscores the urgent need for regulatory and technological adaptation in data security.