Insights from the Mobile World Congress. Growing interest in Quantum Technologies
"This year event clearly shows how Quantum Cryptography is leaking into every organisation. Awareness of the cybersecurty threat and Quantum-Secure solutions are gaining traction, showed by the affluence of visitors to the Quantum Space and the unexpected success of the 4YFN Panel Discussion."
Vanesa Díaz, CEO of LuxQuanta
INTRODUCTION
The Mobile World Congress 2023 was held a month ago, and LuxQuanta participated as an exhibitor in the European Quantum Space corner, which brought together the most representative companies working in the quantum field in Europe.
Vanesa Díaz, CEO of LuxQuanta, and Sergi Vizcaíno, Strategy & Outreach Manager, represented the company at the event, which was a 4-day affair filled with talks, meetings, and important moments for the company.
In this article, we will recap some key takeaways from the event that evidence the fast-growing market of Quantum Communications and share our thoughts on the same.THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF OUR FIRST SYSTEM: NOVA LQ™ CONTINUOUS VARIABLE QKD
We took the opportunity to launch our first system as part of the fair. Vanesa presented it in the European Quantum Space. The system, named NOVA LQ™, is a European QKD system based on the Continuous Variable protocol.
This protocol modulates the quadrature of the light electromagnetic field instead of using single photons, providing several beneficial features in comparison to its older variant, DV-QKD. You can find further details on our product page.
We thank all the visitors and potential customers for the warm welcome of the product, which was highly unexpected for many. Being the first commercially available CV-QKD system in Europe opens up the possibilities to start discussing projects, deployments, and partnerships in different and exciting use cases.
THE TELECOM INDUSTRY STARTS TO CONSIDER QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY AS AN OPTION
We were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest in Quantum Technologies shown by the telecommunications sector, especially in Quantum Cryptography. The number of inquiries we received from leads, visitors, and companies keen to understand more about our technologies was heartening. We were particularly impressed by the number of cybersecurity representatives who approached us to inquire about Quantum Secure options for their clients.
This trend underscores the increasing awareness among businesses of the imminent threat posed by quantum computers to current cryptography and cybersecurity. Consequently, many key players in the industry are starting to evaluate the implementation of quantum-safe alternatives. While the actual threat of quantum computers may still be years away, several factors contribute to the urgency for quantum-secure solutions.
- Growing global investment in quantum computing, supporting the technology's imminent maturity and increasing the urgency for quantum-secure solutions.
- Continuous advancements in computer technology, increasing the likelihood that quantum computers will be able to break current encryption methods in the future.
- Escalating frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, underscoring the need for more secure encryption methods.
- Heightened interest from governments worldwide in quantum-safe solutions to protect against potential cyber threats.
- Greater awareness and promotion of quantum cryptography from companies in the industry, emphasizing the importance of preparing for the future of cybersecurity.
In essence, this indicates the growing interest in Quantum Technologies and the apprehension it brings as the development of quantum computers approaches.
URGENT NEED FOR COMPANIES TO GET EDUCATED AND LEARN ABOUT QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES
Although LuxQuanta is making great efforts to provide educational and informative content to our audience, we believe that companies from all sectors, including our main competitors, should increase their focus on educating their audiences.
LuxQuanta's CEO making video interviews for outreach and dissemination purposes.
Aside from our own interests for company growth, we believe that the emergent sector of Quantum Cryptography needs to be built by all players in it. We are providing solutions to a threat that may compromise the security of governments, private companies, and health institutions in a never-seen-before way that can potentially affect all of us. Therefore, is our duty as pioneers in the sector to warn everyone while providing accurante information about the situation and the different options.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS ARE BETTING ON QKD FOR LARGE-SCALE DEPLOYMENTS.
The interest in Quantum Cryptography does not stay in the private sector. Governmental representatives also passed by the Quantum Flagship corner to explore different technologies, including our solutions.
The European Commissioner of Internal Market, Thierry Breton, passed by and explored the different technologies exposed in the Flagship Corner. As he stated in his tweet:
“Inspiring visit of the European Quantum Flagship initiative — with first tangible results of research & innovation activities funded by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe EU funding programmes."
At the left, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner of Inernal Market. Next to him Dr. Philippe Grangier, father of the CV-QKD technology.
He also stopped at LuxQuanta stand and talked with vanesa Díaz discussing the main features of our system. The interest of Europe is also evidenced by its DIGITAL Europe programe, a series of fundings to advance Quantum Cryptography technolgoy and enhance its maturity to deployed as part as the EuroQCI initiative. LuxQuanta leads the QUARTER consortium as part of this effort.
On the other hand, representatives of the Government of Catalonia also showed interest in our technology. The President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonès, came to our stand and had a quick chat with our CEO, discussing the current need for Catalonia to be at the forefront of quantum-safe cybersecurity. Catalonia is highly aware of the urgent need to prepare the territory for teh upcoming future.
It is undeniable the immense interest that Europe has in be leaders in the quantum cryptography race.
President of the Government of Catalonia talking with Vanesa Díaz, CEO of LuxQuanta.
THE OUTSTANDING SUCCESS OF THE 4YFN PANEL DISCUSSION ON QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES
Our company was honored to be a part of the 4YFN (4 Years From Now) program, and our CEO, Vanesa Díaz, had the privilege of participating in the panel discussion on Quantum Technologies. She was joined on stage by Carlos Abellan, CEO of Quside, and Johanna Spúlveda from Airbus, where they provided a comprehensive 360º perspective on the current state of Quantum Communications. The panel discussion was moderated by Sergio Gago Huerta, from Moody’s Analaytics, which added depth and richness to the conversation.
The event was a huge success, with many people expressing interest in attending but unable to do so due to the long queue outside the venue and the space filling up within minutes of opening. The level of interest and eagerness to learn and know more about the quantum sector was evident and, honestly, unexpected.
Vanesa talking in the Panel Discussion on 4YFN. A 360º view on Quantum Communications.
The panel discussion featured diverse perspectives from a QKD manufacturer, QRNG, and a client such as Airbus. The different viewpoints provided a broader understanding of the industry's current state and its future potential.
CHATTING WITH THE INVENTOR OF CV-QKD
Furthermore, we had the pleasure of chatting with Philippe Grangier, one of the fathers of CV-QKD technology. He was keen to speak with us and learn more about our solutions. It was an almost natural conversation, and we were honored to have the opportunity to speak with him.
Philippe Grangier, key contributor to the CV-QKD protocol.
INTEREST FROM THE MEDIA: PODCAST COLLABORATION WITH THECUBE AND OTHER INTERVIEWS
Our presence at the 4YFN, the European Quantum Space and our Product Realease attract the interest of many media to feature LuxQuanta.
We had the opportunity to collaborate with TheCube, where our CEO discussed the state of Quantum Cryptorgaphy and our company's role in it. Additionally, we had interviews with industry media and took part of guided tours explaining the unique features of our technology.
These experiences have been instrumental in showcasing our company's contribution to the emerging field of quantum technologies and connecting us with experts, industry leaders, and the media.
Vanesa at TheCube set, along Antonio Acin, Professor at ICFO.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The inertia that the quantum technologies is gaining is something undeniable. Fields like quantum computing continue to advance fueled by multimillion-dollar investments, moving forward towards operational quantum computers. Inevitably, the field of quantum cryptography is gaining awareness and interest from people of many sectors, reflected in the MWC23
Although our intitial surprise by the interest of the sector, we expect nothing than an increase in these trend, as companies and professionals seeks knowledge and understanding of the threats and technologies.
We are excited to see how this year evolve and the impact and importance that the Quantum Technologies will have next year at the Mobile World Congress '24.
