On July 13, 2021, Luxembourg announced the launch of the Luxembourg Quantum Communications Infrastructure project (LuxQCI), coordinated by the Department of Media, Telecommunications and Digital Policy (SMC) of the Ministry of State. The project was supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) under the national LuxIMPULSE programme.
A consortium led by SES subsidiary SES Techcom was assembled to design the infrastructure. According to the SES press release, the consortium included InCert, itrust consulting, LuxConnect, LuxTrust, and the University of Luxembourg’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT). Key objectives included designing the national QCI, integrating terrestrial and space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) into a hybrid key management system, and planning integration with other European QCI initiatives.
Luxembourg’s Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna, stated that the LuxQCI project illustrated how EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds could contribute to a future-oriented recovery and noted promising opportunities for the financial sector.