IonQ Deploys National Quantum Key Distribution Network in Romania
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Insider Brief IonQ announced the deployment of the Romanian National Quantum Communication Infrastructure (RoNaQCI), a large-scale operational quantum key distribution network spanning more than 1,500 kilometers. The network includes 36 quantum-secured links across six Romanian cities and was delivered with the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest and RoEduNet. All QKD systems were supplied by IonQ subsidiary ID Quantique, contributing to Europe’s broader EuroQCI quantum communications initiative. PRESS RELEASE — IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the leading quantum platform company, today announced that it has successfully deployed the technology powering the Romanian National Quantum Communication Infrastructure (RoNaQCI). This initiative represents one of the largest and most complex operational quantum key distribution (QKD) networks in Europe and one of the largest of its kind outside of China. Delivered in partnership with the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest and RoEduNet, Romania’s national research and education network, the project marks a major milestone in Europe’s efforts to protect critical communications against current and future cyber threats. The nationwide network is built exclusively using IonQ’s commercially available QKD technology, demonstrating that quantum-secure communications are scalable and operational for national infrastructure today. “IonQ is proud to support this large operational quantum-secure communications network deployed in Europe, and to directly contribute to the realization of EuroQCI, which is building Europe’s flagship quantum communication infrastructure,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ. “This deployment of QKD at national scale supports critical security initiatives and protects sensitive communications across government, healthcare, research, education, and data center environments.” Romania’s quantum infrastructure now includes 36 quantum-secured links spanning more than 1,500 kilometers, accounting for more than 20 percent of Europe’s terrestrial quantum communications infrastructure to date. This network connects six major metropolitan areas including Bucharest, Iași, Timișoara, Craiova, Cluj-Napoca, and Constanța, to ensure secure data movement through end-to-end distribution of encryption keys transported in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) network combined with data traffic in C-band across the metropolitan part of the network. “Our newly deployed national QKD infrastructure is an important milestone both for Romania and for the EuroQCI effort,” said Prof.
Pantelimon George Popescu, Head of the Quantum Computing Laboratory at POLITEHNICA Bucharest. “This network establishes a practical foundation for secure data exchange across Romania and contributes to the broader European effort to build interoperable quantum communications networks.” All QKD systems deployed across the network were supplied by IonQ’s subsidiary, ID Quantique, ensuring consistent performance, interoperability, and security at a national scale. The project brought together a broad consortium of 12 Romanian universities, seven research institutes, three national agencies, and additional public and private stakeholders. This news follows IonQ’s continued work to accelerate quantum-secure communications across Europe as part of the European quantum communications infrastructure. Most recently, IonQ announced a partnership with the Slovak Academy of Sciences to deploy Slovakia’s first national quantum communication network and has launched the Geneva Quantum Network in Switzerland. IonQ also joined Q-Alliance with the government of Italy, and designated Oxford, UK as its EMEA headquarters, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting Europe’s quantum initiatives.
Mohib Ur Rehman LinkedIn Mohib has been tech-savvy since his teens, always tearing things apart to see how they worked. His curiosity for cybersecurity and privacy evolved from tinkering with code and hardware to writing about the hidden layers of digital life. Now, he brings that same analytical curiosity to quantum technologies, exploring how they will shape the next frontier of computing. Share this article: