Portuguese Quantum Communication Infrastructure (PTQCI)
The PTQCI is a 30-months research project funded by the European Commission, which will deploying an ultra-secure quantum communication infrastructure in Portugal.
Starting date: 01/01/2023
Ending date: 31/05/2025

Summary

Portugal, being one of the member states supporting the EuroQCI inniciative, is grouping in PTQCI its national key stakeholders (implementing entity National Security Authority, telecom service providers, industry, and academia) towards the early deployment of an advanced quantum network supporting national quantum communication initiatives and their integration with existing communication networks, in what will be the Portuguese (PT) initial segment (land and space) of EuroQCI, plus its connection with Spain. PTQCI is supported by PT Armed Forces, Spanish EuroQCI, PTSPACE, and Austrian partners. PTQCI is part of a roadmap for deploying national secure communication infrastructures and technology provision, and builds on previous milestones achieved, and currently in implementation by the core team on the past few years: advanced theoretical and practical experiments with quantum key distribution (QKD) and cryptographic protocols leading to successful demonstration of a quantum secure link between two PT military sites using exclusively national technology (QSCRIPT, 2021); PT leadership of a major project under EDIDP and supported by MoD and industry from Spain, Italy and Austria aiming at integrating and combining Software Defined Networks (SDN) and QKD technologies on top of legacy optical networks to build a highly secure, scalable and resilient network control architecture for advanced operational services and develop national cipher machines (DISCRETION 2021); the implementation of NATO Cyber Academy Hub in Lisbon to which the activities of DISCRETION are connected, and the participation of Portugal in the Space component of EuroQCI through PTSPACE. PTQCI will follow and build on DISCRETION, deploying a resilient network into the existing fiber optics infrastructures in Portugal connecting different public bodies in Lisbon metropolitan area, as well as a testbed network involving academic and private stakeholders, it will prepare the expansion plan of the network to farther locations in Portugal (mainland and islands), including the assessment of the ground to space segment infrastructures. Furthermore, it will be designed from the start with a strong engagement with Spanish EuroQCI counterparts, building on joint knowledge to achieve full EuroQCI interoperability at the Iberian scale.

Latest News

  • Lecture in Quantum Key Distribution

    On October 8th, Professor Armando Nolasco Pinto will present a hybrid lecture titled "Quantum Key Distribution in Public Telecommunication Networks" at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) in Brazil.
    October 08, 2024
  • Summer School on Quantum Communication & Space

    On September 11th and 12th, the IST- Oeiras, hosted the PTQCI Summer School on Quantum Communication & Space. The event featured several sessions with renowned national and international experts, providing an exceptional opportunity to stay at the forefront of quantum technology and space exploration.
    September 11-12, 2024
  • Free-space Quantum Communications Workshop

    On September 9th and 10th, the IST hosted the second PTQCI Workshop, “Free-space Quantum Communications”. The event focuses on free-space quantum communication, a critical area for airborne and space-based quantum communication, discussing the latest advancements and research with experts in the field.
    September 09-10, 2024
  • PTQCI Newsletter#3

    The third PTQCI Newsletter was published today. In this document, you may find the highlithgts of the third semester of the project and some other important information. You can download it here.
    June 30, 2024
  • Tech Day 2024

    The second edition of the Quantum Tech Day took place in Aveiro, at the Instituto de Telecomunicações, on March 13, 2024. Ernesto Galvão from INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory presented on Photonics Quantum Computing, and Professor Armando Nolasco Pinto discussed an engineering approach with MATLAB in Quantum Computing.
    March 13, 2024
  • Quantum Communication Networks Workshop

    From February 26 to 27, the University of Aveiro hosted the "Quantum Communications Network" workshop, organized by the Quantum Communications Group of the Instituto de Telecomunicações. The event brought together national and international key players in the field of quantum technologies.
    February 26-27, 2024
  • PTQCI Newsletter#2

    The second PTQCI Newsletter was published today. In this document, you may find the highlithgts of the second semester of the project and some other important information. You can download it here.
    December 31, 2023
  • Experimental field trial

    FCCN, IPTelecom, and Warpcom implemented a Secure Communication Link based on Quantum Technologies, connecting two points, on a 14-kilometer route, in Lisbon.
    November, 2023
  • REPMUS 2023

    Three of our partners, (GNS, IT and Deimos), participated in a field demonstration of a cutting-edge quantum-link CV-QKD system at #REPMUS23 and #NATODYMS23 exercises, organized by the Portuguese Navy at the Operational Experimentation Center in Troia, Portugal.
    September 21, 2023
  • PTQCI Newsletter#1

    The first PTQCI Newsletter was published today. In this document, you may find the highlithgts of the first six months of the project and some other important information. You can download it here.
    July 7, 2023
  • PETRUS Project Meeting

    PTQCI representatives participated in the PETRUS project and EU Commission meeting which took place on the 7th of June in Brussels.
    June 7, 2023
  • Quantum Tech Day

    This workshop took place on the 13th of March in the Instituto de Telecomunicações, headquartered at the campus of the University of Aveiro. Find out more here.
    March 13, 2023
  • Nacional kick-off meeting

    PTQCI project had its national kick-off meeting on the 1st of February at the National Security Office in Lisbon.
    February 1, 2023
  • EuroQCI kick-off meeting

    PTQCI representatives were present at the EuroQCI DIGITAL projects Kick-Off Meeting which took place on 24th of January at the EU Commission in Brussels.
    January 24, 2023
  • PTQCI project

    The PTQCI project officially started on 01/01/2023.
    January 1, 2023
  • PTQCI project selected for funding

    The PTQCI Consortium is pleased to announce that its project was considered for funding in the call DIGITAL-2021-QCI-01 — Deploying advanced national QCI systems and networks.
    July 14, 2022