Implementation

A 5.1 km fiber link connects two laboratories in two campuses of the University of Gent, the Zwijnaarde Technologiepark and the Campus De Sterre.

Equipment

The QKD devices chosen for this link are provided by Spanish manufacturer LuxQuanta. The LuxQuanta devices use Continuous-Variables QKD technology, based on coherent optical communication, better suited for shorter distances.

Use case

The link is being used primarily for research purposes, to test the devices and to assess the possibility of exchanging classical and quantum data in the same channel, using state-of-the-art QKD technology. The link will be used in future phases for deployment of integrated QKD devices developed by UGent and imec.

A 8.38 km fiber link connects two Belnet data centers, situated in Brussels.

Equipment

The QKD devices deployed in Brussels are provided by IDQuantique, one of the leader manufacturers of QKD equipment with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The IDQuantique devices use Discrete-Variables QKD, a technology based on single-photon communication, more suited for longer distances.

Use case

The link is used and tested by Belnet, the Belgian Research and Education Network, to secure a data flow between two of its data centers, both situated in Brussels.

A 7.96 km fiber link connects two locations managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in Redu and Transinne.

Equipment

The QKD devices chosen for this link are provided by Italian manufacturer ThinkQuantum. The ThinkQuantum devices use Discrete-Variables QKD technology, a technology based on single-photon communication, more suited for longer distances.

Use case

The link is used by CETIC (Centre d’excellence en technologies de l’information et de la communication), a research center, to test the integration of QKD in an in-house developed middelware, DMWay. The QKD and middleware integration is done to transfer IoT data between the two sites.