SES’s CEO Adel Al-Saleh and SpeQtral’s CEO Chune Yang LUM sign a MoU to develop an interoperable OGS for long-distance satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution between Asia and Europe.

SES has made an interesting move when it comes to quantum-secure communications. It has teamed up with Singapore-based SpeQtral to develop an interoperable optical ground station (OGS) to establish long-distance satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD) between Asia and Europe. The two companies announced the MoU on March 28.

Under the agreement, the development of an interoperable OGS will enable SES and SpeQtral to connect both companies’ current and future QKD satellite missions, to diversify the supply of long-distance QKD to end users in Asia, Europe, and other future compatible ground stations worldwide. SES and SpeQtral said integrating this proposed OGS with Singapore’s fiber-QKD network will help future customers integrate their networks with satellite QKD networks and demonstrate a practical pathway towards enabling a global QKD connectivity once the QKD satellites are operational.

The collaboration will aim to reduce costs associated with quantum communication infrastructure, bridge a critical gap in the QKD service availability, and lower barriers for global deployment and adoption.

Quantum is an area of focus for SES, and the operator is also collaborating with a consortium of European partners on the EAGLE-1 project to enable early access to long-distance QKD for ultra-secure data transmissions. The project, which includes both satellite and ground infrastructure, is co-funded by ESA national contributions and the European Commission.

“Our partnership with SES represents a significant step towards realizing commercially viable space-based QKD. It is important that we build on each other’s expertise, to unlock synergies in this initial phase of enabling the interconnection of localized fiber-based quantum networks. By developing a shared OGS infrastructure, we are reducing costs and strengthening the foundation for a truly global quantum-secure network,” Chune Yang Lum, CEO of SpeQtral, said in a statement.