Dr. Ilias Papastamatiou, Senior Project Manager at GRNET S.A. and Coordinator of the HellasQCI project, was featured on the “Simply Digital” broadcast and podcast, hosted by Niki Papazoglou and Dimitris Mallas. The interview shed light on the technology of quantum communications and their strategic importance for Greece and the European Union.
Dr. Papastamatiou explained how Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) ensures ultimate communication security and highlighted the complementary role of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). He stressed that Europe is investing heavily in the EuroQCI initiative, aiming for an operational pan-European quantum network by 2030, with Greece recognized as a “lighthouse country.”
He showcased the progress of HellasQCI, which deploys a 650 km network linking Athens, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion with three Optical Ground Stations (Helmos, Holomontas, Skinakas). The infrastructure not only safeguards government communications and critical infrastructures in health, energy, and telecommunications, but also serves as a living testbed for universities, research centers, and SMEs to develop and validate new quantum technologies.
Special emphasis was given to the QCI Days Athens 2025 international conference, which gathered over 600 participants from 30 countries and established Greece as a European interoperability hub. In Athens, the first real-world quantum network demo was successfully performed over 131 km with 15 nodes, showcasing multi-layer encryption and the first quantum-secure multi-party videoconference.
At the European level, Greece recently achieved a double success with the top-ranked and highest-scoring approval of two flagship CEF proposals, SEEWQCI and TransEuroOGS, both evaluated among the very best proposals across the EU.
SEEWQCI, creating a “Balkan Corridor” interlinking Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and the Netherlands with terrestrial and satellite QKD.
TransEuroOGS, connecting Greece with Germany, Luxembourg, and Ireland via satellite-based QKD, enhancing the space segment of EuroQCI.
Dr. Papastamatiou underlined that Greece’s geo-strategic location and clear skies make it a natural security hub for South-East Europe, providing redundant secure paths that reinforce Europe’s digital sovereignty.
Finally, he highlighted the importance of training and capacity building, with national training events already held in Athens and Crete and the next large-scale school planned for Thessaloniki. He also referred to the development of a National Quantum Strategy, aligned with the new European Quantum Strategy (2025), ensuring coherence in infrastructure, research, and skills development.
The “Simply Digital” interview is available as a podcast, offering the public a unique opportunity to understand the technologies already shaping the future of secure communications.
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