A Milestone In Quantum Communication: Malta At The Forefront Of Quantum Technologies In Europe
Melita and Merqury advance their collaboration on pioneering security products that will offer unprecedented levels of security.
Melita Limited announced the successful use of quantum encryption using equipment, the first of its kind in Malta and rarely found outside laboratories, located within its two data centres. This milestone event marks a significant advancement in the development of a nationwide quantum communication network which will provide an as yet unsurpassed level of cybersecurity.
Melita Limited is supporting Merqury Cybersecurity Limited in the development of quantum technologies for secure cryptography and key distribution, from quantum key distribution that offers a secure method for key exchange to quantum-safe cryptography that provides resilience against hacking and eavesdropping. This development is part of the cutting-edge project PRISM (Physical Security for Public Infrastructure in Malta), co-funded by the EU, plans to deploy quantum-secured communication links over standard telecommunications networks, an EU first, which will guarantee data security against current and future cyber threats.
“Standard encryption used today relies on mathematics to encrypt and decrypt data. Encrypted data can be copied by attackers and decrypted if they have sufficient computing power, or the encryption method is weak. Quantum cryptography ensures that data can only be decrypted by parties which share the quantum keys. Additionally, the data cannot be copied or viewed by a potential hacker without this being noticed.”, Prof. André Xuereb, founder and CEO of Merqury Cybersecurity Limited, explained.
“We are delighted to have achieved another milestone in the journey towards enhancing cybersecurity. Quantum cryptography represents the future of secure data transmission, and we are proud to have demonstrated its potential on our infrastructure.”, Harald Roesch, CEO of Melita Limited, said.
As part of its work in PRISM, Melita is providing a network of several connections for the transmission of quantum-encrypted data on its fibre network, across Malta and eventually on to Sicily, across Melita’s undersea cable. This infrastructure will continue to serve as a crucial testing ground for validating the effectiveness of quantum security and encryption services within a functional telecommunications network, using solutions designed by Merqury.
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