A Greek delegation participated in the meetings of ITU-T Study Group 20 (Internet of Things, Digital Twins, and Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities) held in Geneva from 12 to 14 May 2026, under the coordination of the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Posts of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence.
The delegation was headed by Sophia Papathanasopoulou, Head of the Broadband Unit at the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Posts and Vice Chair of ITU-T SG20, and included Dr. Marios Angelopoulos, Q5 Rapporteur, Dr. Leonidas Anthopoulos, Q8 Associate Rapporteur, and Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, senior project manager at GRNET and Coordinator of both the HellasQCI and SEEWQCI projects.
Ms. Papathanasopoulou delivered introductory interventions at the SG20 plenary, followed by Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, who then delivered a technical presentation for Contribution 415, entitled “Quantum-Secured Communications in Cities: Use Cases from the National HellasQCI Infrastructure.” The presentation was submitted to Question 5 (Terminology and Definitions, Study and Research of Emerging Digital Technologies) and showcased the HellasQCI infrastructure and its real-world use cases across smart cities, cybersecurity, healthcare, critical infrastructures and quantum-secure communications.
The presentation highlighted Greece as one of the first European countries to deploy operational Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) solutions in live environments. The HellasQCI architecture was presented as fully aligned with ITU-T Y.3800, ITU-T X.1711 and ETSI standards for Quantum Communication Networks.
The future expansion of HellasQCI through the SEEWQCI (South-East and Western Europe Quantum Communication Infrastructure) and TransEuroOGS projects was also presented, illustrating Greece’s role within the broader EuroQCI initiative and its contribution to building Europe’s quantum-secure backbone.
The Greek delegation’s contribution received positive feedback from ITU representatives, reflecting recognition of the technical maturity and operational readiness of the national HellasQCI infrastructure.
The visit also included a bilateral meeting with Mr. Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), underscoring the strategic importance of Greece’s participation in international quantum communication standardization efforts.
Further information about ITU-T Study Group 20 is available on the official website here.
