The European Union’s commitment to quantum-safe communication is no longer a vision — it is taking shape step by step. As the first phase of the EuroQCI initiative nears completion, concrete results, use cases, and future plans are now being presented to Europe’s quantum community. At the QCI Days 2025 in Athens, Aymard de Touzalin (Head of Unit Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, European Commission, DG CNECT) highlighted how EuroQCI is evolving into a cornerstone of Europe’s cybersecurity strategy, protecting communications, data, and critical infrastructures against both current and future threats.

At fragmentiX, this is not news — it’s confirmation.

Since the inception of this initiative, frX has been an active partner in research, planning and development of this EU-wide quantum-secure network. We therefore see Aymard de Touzalin’s statements as a very important confirmation of our mission and our alignment with the goals of the EU-Commission on this matter.

Since our founding in 2018, we have built our entire technology stack on the conviction that quantum-safe data protection, grounded in secret sharing, is the key to long-term digital sovereignty.

What is the EuroQCI initiative?

EuroQCI (European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) is an EU program that combines satellite-based and terrestrial quantum key distribution (QKD) networks to protect critical communications and data from current and future threats, including quantum computers. It is part of the European Cybersecurity Strategy and integrated into IRIS², the Union Secure Connectivity Programme.

The infrastructure consists of two complementary segments:

• Space Segment – distribution of quantum-secured encryption keys globally via satellites.
• Terrestrial Segment – a federation of national quantum communication networks across EU member states, connected with cross-border links.

Why is the terrestrial segment important for resilience?

Terrestrial QKD networks are more resilient than satellite-only systems because they use thousands of fibre optic connections that cannot be disabled in a single attack. Even if several connections are disrupted, the network remains operational.

Satellites can distribute quantum-secured keys on a global scale — but they are not invincible. A satellite can most likely be blinded or destroyed in under 20 seconds by laser or anti-satellite missile attacks. This makes satellite-only QKD vulnerable in conflict scenarios. Terrestrial networks, in contrast, have built-in redundancy and cannot be taken down as easily, making them a critical layer for Europe’s cyber resilience.

How does the terrestrial segment secure both data in transit and at rest?

While terrestrial QKD secures the transmission of encryption keys, protecting data in transit also requires Trusted Repeater Nodes (TRNs) to maintain security over long distances. For data at rest, a robust solution like secret sharing is needed to ensure stored data is safe from classical and quantum attacks.

In practice, TRNs keep data safe as it travels along QKD-enabled fibre networks. fragmentiX secret sharing appliances then split and distribute stored data into multiple fragments, making it mathematically impossible to reconstruct without the right shares. Together, these technologies provide end-to-end quantum-safe protection.

What is the EU’s roadmap for EuroQCI deployment?

The EuroQCI roadmap outlines nationwide and cross-border deployments to establish a fully integrated quantum communication network across Europe. This includes both infrastructure and technology development.

Key milestones include:

• 26 Member States deploying national QCI networks (2023–2025)
• 6 industry projects advancing EU QKD technologies (2023–2025)
• Deployment of a European QKD product testing and evaluation infrastructure (2024–2028)
• Cross-border connections and optical ground stations for the space segment starting in 2026

The ecosystem will integrate QRNGs, lasers, QKD systems, secret sharing, encryptors, key management tools, SDN interfaces, and client security services — areas where fragmentiX already has deep expertise.

How has fragmentiX prepared for this future?

fragmentiX has worked with QKD, Trusted Repeater Nodes, and — at its core — secret sharing Technology since its founding in 2018. We anticipated the rise of quantum computing threats long before they became mainstream concerns.

Our technology was built for this moment:

• Data at rest – secured with mathematically provable secret sharing methods
• Data in transit – protected through integration with QKD and TRN networks
• Resilience – no single point of failure and protection against both current and future attacks

With EuroQCI’s terrestrial segment, we can now combine our long-proven data-at-rest protection with cutting-edge data-in-transit security, delivering complete quantum-safe solutions.

Key Takeaways

• The EuroQCI initiative is nearing the completion of its first phase, with concrete results and use cases now being shared across Europe.
• The focus is shifting from planning to implementation, with roadmaps for the next phase clearly defined.
• Aymard de Touzalin’s statements underline that quantum-safe communication is no longer optional, but embedded in Europe’s cybersecurity strategy.
• For fragmentiX, this is a confirmation of our mission: since 2018, we have developed secret sharing technology to secure data at rest and have worked on integrating QKD and TRNs for data in transit.
• The EU’s commitment proves that our approach — protecting both data in transit and at rest — is fully aligned with European priorities for digital sovereignty.

The bottom line: With the first phase of EuroQCI delivering results, the EU has confirmed that quantum-safe infrastructures are the future of Europe’s cybersecurity. For fragmentiX, this is more than validation — it is recognition of a path we have pioneered since 2018. The foundations for European digital sovereignty are being laid today, and we are proud to be actively shaping this future.

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