This autumn marks the successful conclusion of the ambitious three-year project, " Development of experimental quantum communication infrastructure in Latvia" (LatQN). The project reached its culmination with participation in Europe's leading 5G ecosystem forum, "Techritory," where LatQN partners, including the Electronic Communications Office of Latvia, shared achieved results and future prospects in quantum security.
During the project, through the collaboration of the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC), Tet, the Electronic Communications Office of Latvia, and the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Latvia (IMCS UL), a fully functional national-level Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) infrastructure was created in Latvia. Our company participated in the project to explore how QKD technologies can be integrated into wireless communication networks. Within the framework of the "Techritory" forum, we presented our experience in a test environment where existing wireless 5G, Wi-Fi, and IoT systems were connected to QKD optical networks.
Jānis Bārda, Chairman of the Board of the Electronic Communications Office of Latvia, states: “The experiments conducted during the project allowed us to verify in practice that quantum and wireless technologies can coexist safely and effectively. Our goal was not only to test the compatibility of the technologies, but also to understand how quantum security solutions can be adapted to existing and future communication networks. The results confirm that the integration of quantum key distribution and random number generation solutions into today’s wireless environment is technically feasible, provided that stable synchronization and precise system configuration are ensured. This is an important step towards a secure communications infrastructure, which will be one of the cornerstones of the digital environment in the future”.
In addition to the research on wireless networks, the project included: Quantum key transmission tests in the healthcare and financial sectors; Data encryption over extreme distances with the goal of joining a unified European QKD network in the future; The creation of an open-source key management system.
The full press release for the project's conclusion can be found here: https://www.lvrtc.lv/en/news/jaunumi/latvia-creates-the-baltic-regions-first-quantum-communications-backbone/
The project "Development of experimental quantum communication infrastructure in Latvia" (LATQN, ID No. 101091559) was implemented from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025. Its total funding is 8,061,380 EUR, consisting of European Union co-financing, state budget funds, and partner contributions. The activities of the Electronic Communications Office of Latvia within the project are co-funded by the European Union project "Experimental Quantum Communication Infrastructure in Latvia" (LATQN, ID 101091559) and the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (Agreement No. IKT/57/2023).
VIDEO INSIGHT into the closing event: https://vimeo.com/1130873835?fl=pl&fe=cm
