{"id":5806,"date":"2025-04-01T17:11:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T09:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ses-and-speqtral-partner-to-develop-optical-ground-station-for-global-quantum-encryption\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T17:11:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T09:11:54","slug":"ses-and-speqtral-partner-to-develop-optical-ground-station-for-global-quantum-encryption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ses-and-speqtral-partner-to-develop-optical-ground-station-for-global-quantum-encryption\/","title":{"rendered":"SES and SpeQtral Partner to Develop Optical Ground Station for Global Quantum Encryption"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SES<\/p>\n

SES and SpeQtral signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop an interoperable Optical Ground Station (OGS) to establish long-distance satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) between Asia and Europe.<\/p>\n

Under the agreement, the development of an interoperable OGS will enable SES and SpeQtral to connect both companies\u2019 current and future QKD satellite missions, resulting in easier access to and diversity in the supply of long-distance QKD to end users in Asia, Europe, and other future compatible ground stations worldwide. The integration of this proposed OGS with Singapore\u2019s fibre-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.<\/p>\n

SES and SpeQtral collaboration will reduce costs associated with quantum communication infrastructure, bridge a critical gap in QKD service availability, and lower barriers to global deployment and adoption.<\/p>\n

The first such OGS is anticipated to be built in Singapore, which already hosts a vibrant seedbed of quantum-safe activities, including the National Quantum Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) initiative driven by Singapore\u2019s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).<\/p>\n

Fibre-based QKD networks that are being deployed in major cities around the world will require a satellite-based QKD solution to form an interconnected global QKD network.<\/p>\n

QKD satellites operate in Sun-Synchronous Orbits approximately 500 km away from the Earth\u2019s surface, enabling global interconnectivity and laying the foundation for highly secure communications in the age of quantum computing.<\/p>\n

SES, in collaboration with a consortium of European partners, is leading the development of 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, reinforcing Europe’s commitment to advancing quantum-secure communications.<\/p>\n

SpeQtral is working on two QKD satellites, SpeQtre and SpeQtral-1, which are supported by the Office for Space Technology & Industry, Singapore (OSTIn). SpeQtre, a joint Singapore-UK mission set for launch later this year, will host SpeQtral\u2019s space-qualified quantum-optics system, which enables the establishment of quantum-secure encryption keys. OSTIn\u2019s strong support for technological development in advanced space-based capabilities has played an important role in enabling local startups like SpeQtral, foster impactful international partnerships with the potential to shape the global quantum-security industry.<\/p>\n

\n

Also Read: What is Satellite Link\/Network Emulation?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

The MoU agreement was signed by the CEOs of both companies in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, during the State visit of Singapore\u2019s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, said<\/strong>, \u201c<\/em>Satellite-enabled Quantum Key Distribution<\/em> is a fundamental technology for next-generation cyber security, allowing long-distance transmission of encryption keys. At SES we are delighted to bring our innovative expertise in developing secure, interoperable networked solutions, joining efforts with like-minded ecosystem partner SpeQtral in implementing the next milestone of our quantum-secure vision. The agreement allows SES to expand into non-EU markets and serve commercial customers, including facilitating secure exchanges between entities based across different geographies.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Chune Yang Lum, CEO of SpeQtral, said<\/strong>: “Our partnership with <\/em>SES<\/em> represents a significant step towards realising commercially viable space-based QKD. We must build on each other\u2019s expertise to unlock synergies in this initial phase of enabling the interconnection of localised fibre-based quantum networks. By developing a shared OGS infrastructure, we are reducing costs and strengthening the foundation for a truly global quantum-secure network.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr Jonathan Hung, Executive Director at OSTIn, said:<\/strong> \u201cThe collaboration between <\/em>SpeQtral<\/em> and <\/em>SES<\/em> marks a significant milestone in Singapore’s quantum technology landscape that will strengthen secure global communications for the future. The partnership leverages SpeQtral\u2019s strengths as one of the first quantum key distribution (QKD) companies, together with SES\u2019s satellite QKD expertise and position as a global content and connectivity solutions provider, to make quantum communications more accessible worldwide and allow seamless services for end-users in Asia and Europe. We welcome more partnerships with companies to strengthen Singapore\u2019s position at the forefront of quantum communications innovation and commercialization.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SES and SpeQtral signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop an interoperable Optical Ground Station (OGS) to establish long-distance satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) between Asia and Europe. Under the agreement, the development of an interoperable OGS will enable SES and SpeQtral to connect both companies\u2019 current and future QKD satellite missions, resulting in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[26,25,20],"class_list":["post-5806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ground","tag-launch","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}