Chilas, awarded €1 million to advance quantum-safe communications. QUARTERNEXT partners meet in person for the first time
Enschede, The Netherlands, 22 October 2026 – Chilas, the Enschede-based manufacturer of integrated-photonics tunable lasers, is taking part in QUARTERNEXT, a four-year European project meant to secure the continent’s critical communications against cyber attacks. On November 2nd, the six partners meet in person for the first time in Barcelona for the project’s official kick-off.
Backed by €10 million in EU funding under the Digital Europe Programme, of which €1 million goes to Chilas, QUARTERNEXT brings together Luxquanta, Quside, Chilas, fragmentiX, Telefónica Innovación Digital (TID) and the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology Together they will develop compact, interoperable quantum key distribution (QKD) systems that are ready for industrial deployment and formal European security certification.
Chilas will adapt its tunable, narrow-linewidth laser sources for use in the project’s quantum-secure systems. Stable, precisely controlled light is a core building block of continuous-variable QKD, and Chilas’ photonic-integrated lasers allow it to be built into compact, deployment-ready devices.
The project supports EuroQCI, the EU’s pan-European quantum communication infrastructure. It also works with the Nostradamus initiative on testing and certification, and will trial its results in live telecom networks, including Telefónica’s TEFQCI infrastructure. The consortium’s aim is EU-made quantum communication components, which strengthens Europe’s technological sovereignty.
”Cyber attacks on Europe’s infrastructure are becoming more frequent and more sophisticated. Protecting our data by using quantum technology means preparing now. We’re proud to contribute our laser technology to QUARTERNEXT, working side by side with leading European companies and research institutes: Luxquanta building the quantum-secure communication systems, Quside creating the secure keys that protect them, fragmentiX safeguarding stored data, and Telefónica and AIT making sure it all works in real networks. Together we can turn this technology into protection Europe can rely on.” Dimitri Geskus, CTO of Chilas Lasers
QUARTERNEXT partners meet in Barcelona
The QUARTERNEXT consortium is now taking the next step with its first in-person meeting, bringing the six project partners together in Barcelona. The project leader from Chilas, Wilson Tsong, together with our laser expert Albert van Rees will join the meeting. This marks an important moment as the consortium moves from the project’s initial launch into the practical work of developing, integrating and validating the technologies needed for quantum-safe communications. For Chilas, the meeting provides an opportunity to work directly with the consortium partners and further define the role of its tunable, narrow-linewidth laser technology within the project.
QUARTERNEXT builds on the earlier QUARTER project, in which Chilas also took part.
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