Eurobites: Deutsche Telekom to lead quantum tech project

Deutsche Telekom is to lead an EU-commissioned consortium charged with building a testing platform for quantum key distribution (QKD) technology, with a view to providing more security for communications networks, data centers and critical infrastructure such as hospitals and power plants. Nostradamus, as the project is called, will also make possible the evaluation of European manufacturers' QKD devices. Quantum technology, which uses single photons as keys to decode information, is a key strand of the EU's strategy for maintaining cybersecurity in the years to come.

Vodafone Portugal has extended its fiber-sharing partnership with rival operator NOC, signing an agreement to cover an additional 1.1 million homes across the country.

Meanwhile, SIRO, the joint venture between Vodafone's Irish unit and electricity supply company ESB, has switched on services to 100,000 premises in and around Dublin as part of a €100 million (US$109 million) rollout. SIRO was formed in 2015 and has to date rolled out its full-fiber network to almost 550,000 homes and businesses across Ireland.

EE, the Kevin Bacon-bothering mobile arm of BT, says it has completed the first phase of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) program six months ahead of schedule. The SRN is a £1 billion ($1.2 billion) partnership between the UK's four mobile network operators and the UK government to extend 4G mobile connectivity to underserved rural areas. To deliver the first phase of the program, all four operators committed to upgrade existing or build new mobile infrastructure and extend the reach of their 4G networks to eliminate partial "not-spots" – areas which receive mobile coverage from at least one operator, but not all. (See SRN promises 4G coverage jump in rural UK.)

Swiss operator Sunrise is cutting 200 jobs after a consultation process initiated in November 2023 concluded that redundancies were "unavoidable." Most of those losing their jobs will be told in the second half of January.

Orange is deploying Infinera's GX Series-based ICE6 coherent technology on its new AMITIE subsea cable. Orange customers will be offered (up to) 400GigE (Gigabit Ethernet) services from the US to France, and across the operator's long-haul terrestrial backhaul network from Boston to New York and Le Porge to Bordeaux in France. According to Infinera, the deployment significantly reduces Orange's energy cost per megabit and minimizes its carbon footprint.

Finland's Elisa has acquired a majority stake in Moontalk, an application development company, in a bid to strengthen its position as a provider of SaaS (software-as-a-service) services. (Too many services? Possibly.)

Internet exchange company NL-ix is extending its deployment of Nokia's 7750 Service Routers, which come complete with (up to) 800GigE interfaces, from its Netherlands base to the more than 100 data centers its operates across Europe.

A European Commission review has concluded that personal data transferred from the EU to 11 non-EU countries and territories, including New Zealand, Switzerland and Uruguay, continues to benefit from adequate data protection safeguards.