(Telecompaper) Italian ICT services company Italtel said it has teamed up with the TOP-IX consortium and CSI Piemonte to test the first prototype of its new Italtel Quantum Secure Network (QSN) product in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. QSN was developed by Italtel for QKD (Quantum Key Distribution), one of the most mature quantum technologies, with a view to enhancing security of information transmitted over communication networks with the highest possible levels of encryption.
Italtel said the aim of the collaboration is to identify the requirements and define the methods of insertion into the TOP-IX network of its QSN product, which consists of a QKD transmitter and receiver to be installed at the ends of a fibre-optic link. The partners added that they intend to build on the initial tests to develop products based on a technology that is expected to have a future significant impact on sectors where security is paramount, such as public administrations.
The development of QSN was carried out by Italtel as part of a project co-financed by the European Commission through EIT Digital (European Institute of Technology).