Quantum communication technologies are moving from research environments into operational networks. In February 2026, Terra Quantum installed its Quantum Key Distribution system on a live telecommunications network in Malta, establishing a quantum-secured link between two Melita Business data centres in collaboration with Merqury Cybersecurity. The deployment forms part of the PRISM project within the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI) initiative.
A Deployment on Live Telecom Infrastructure
The Malta installation connected two Melita Business data centres using Terra Quantum's QKD hardware deployed directly into the operator's existing fiber network. A central objective was to demonstrate that quantum-secure communication can operate on lit fiber infrastructure, without requiring dedicated dark fiber. The Terra Quantum QKD system is capable of operating across both, removing a significant infrastructure barrier to adoption in commercial telecom environments where provisioning dedicated fiber is costly and time-consuming.
The system exchanged quantum-encoded key material between two hardware endpoints while continuously monitoring the physical state of the fiber channel. This monitoring is performed through two complementary mechanisms. Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) scans the fiber link to detect anomalies and precisely locate them along the cable. Continuous loss measurement tracks total signal attenuation across the link to identify unexpected changes in transmission conditions. Together, they give the system real-time visibility into the physical integrity of the channel, allowing any deviation from expected behaviour to be detected during key exchange.
Integration With Key Management Systems
The QKD deployment was integrated with Merqury Cybersecurity's Key Management System, allowing generated keys to be delivered directly into an operational key lifecycle management environment. The integration used a standards-aligned REST API interface, enabling interoperability between the QKD infrastructure and existing security systems. This architecture is designed to allow QKD to operate alongside existing encryption platforms rather than requiring replacement of them.
Operational Performance
Since installation, the deployment has handled tens of thousands of key requests with zero unplanned client-impacting incidents, demonstrating stable operation in a live commercial telecom network. The deployment also gave the teams practical experience evaluating operational processes, monitoring workflows, and the integration mechanisms required to run quantum-secure communication systems in production telecom environments.
Partner Perspectives
Matthew Farrugia, Technical Head of Service Delivery and Data Centre at Melita Business, emphasised the operational priority: "Ensuring the highest level of security for the connection between our data centers is essential. Quantum cryptography provides a powerful new layer of protection and allows us to detect any attempt to compromise the communication link."
Noel Farrugia, Chief Technology Officer at Merqury Cybersecurity, added: "Quantum security only becomes useful when it can be deployed, controlled and monitored as any other system on a network. By integrating Terra Quantum’s QKD technology with Merqury’s quantum network management suite, we have shown that quantum-secure services can move beyond the lab and into real telecom operations."
A Step Toward European Quantum Communication Infrastructure
The Malta deployment contributes to the development of EuroQCI, a European initiative to establish secure quantum communication networks across the continent. Through projects such as PRISM, quantum communication technologies are being integrated into national telecom infrastructure and evaluated for cross-border applications. Deployments like this one help develop the operational and interoperability frameworks that future quantum communication networks will depend on.
Markus Pflitsch, Founder and CEO of Terra Quantum, noted the significance of the milestone: "By successfully operating our quantum key distribution technology on a live telecom network, we are proving that quantum security can be integrated into existing infrastructure today, moving from research laboratories into real-world deployment. This represents a major step toward building the quantum-secure communication backbone Europe will rely on in the future."
What This Means for Network Operators
Telecom operators and infrastructure providers are beginning to assess how quantum communication technologies fit into long-term network security strategies. Real-world deployments provide practical answers to questions that lab environments cannot: how QKD hardware integrates with existing fiber networks, how quantum key sources connect to key management infrastructure, and how physical-layer monitoring operates within enterprise service expectations. The Malta deployment moves those questions from theory into engineering practice.
If you are evaluating quantum security for your infrastructure, explore the architecture and capabilities of Terra Quantum’s patented QKD System and get in touch to learn more.