Secure data is already flowing through the quantum network. The Czech Republic is launching the infrastructure for the future of communication

The Czech Republic is entering the next phase of building its quantum communication infrastructure. It now boasts a complete quantum backbone network connecting Prague, Brno, and Ostrava, through which shared information should flow securely, taking into account the potential risks associated with the advent of quantum computers. The Czech side presented the results of the pilot operation on April 14, 2026, at the ceremonial launch of the Czech Quantum Communication Infrastructure (CZQCI). The event was attended by representatives of the European Union, foreign consortia, government agencies, research institutions, and industry.

The CZQCI project is part of the pan-European EuroQCI initiative, which aims to create an extremely secure communication infrastructure based on quantum technologies. The goal is to begin building a complete communication network after 2030, connecting institutions of nation-states and the European Union, critical infrastructure, and selected private entities. The launch of the Czech national backbone network is the first step for the Czech Republic. A broad consortium of academic and research organizations, communication infrastructure providers, and partners from government, the armed forces, and the cybersecurity sector is participating in the initiative. FIT VUT is part of it.

CyberSecurityHubcz has taken on the coordination and integration of the project at the national level, providing key expertise, connecting individual stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with European initiatives.

“Building quantum communication infrastructure is a long-term and complex process that requires close cooperation across the academic sphere, research organizations, government, and industry. CZQCI is the technological foundation from which the secure communications of the future can grow, as well as a space for educating a new generation of experts in the field of quantum technologies. The newly developed know-how and expertise of the technical teams are key here,” said Assoc. Prof. Jan Bouda, CZQCI project coordinator from CyberSecurityHub.

Infrastructure and Education for the Future

The main objectives of the CZQCI project are fourfold.

1. Primarily, it involves the creation of a test backbone network connecting Prague, Brno, and Ostrava. We can simply imagine it as a special security layer (a dedicated optical link) over the current optical network, based on technologies for quantum key distribution. This layer serves to securely generate and share encryption keys—the advantage is that any attempt to eavesdrop on communications secured in this way will result in a change in the quantum state and can be detected;
2. the project includes educational activities in the field of quantum communication security (a set of courses and modules for both experts and laypeople), including training for management and senior government officials to enable future informed decisions;
3. The third objective of CZQCI is to provide public institutions and companies with the opportunity to actually test quantum communication via temporary connections to a test network;
4. Finally, it is worth mentioning the establishment of laboratory and testing facilities featuring a representative sample of various quantum technologies.

Our faculty is intensively involved in CZQCI. The principal investigator for the project at FIT VUT is Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Ryšavý. “FIT contributes to the deployment and maintenance of quantum infrastructure. For CzechSecurityHub, we provide ‘manpower’ in the form of our experts and their knowledge,” says Ryšavý, commenting on his and his colleagues’ role. Equipment has been installed at the faculty as part of the project to verify the usability of quantum technologies. Participation in the project also allows our other researchers and students to become more familiar with quantum communication. By the way: It was between FIT BUT and FEEC BUT that the first inter-faculty quantum link in the Czech Republic was launched in 2022.

Quantum technologies are one of the major challenges of the future of IT. This is also why FIT BUT is currently preparing a new study specialization with this focus.

List of CZQCI partners

CyberSecurityHubcz, CESNET z.s.p.o., Czech Technical University in Prague, Palacký University in Olomouc, Institute of Instrumentation of the Czech Academy of Sciences, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava, Brno University of Technology.

Source: FIT BUT

---

Author	Mgr. Jan Dvořák
Published	2026-04-16 14:16
Link	https://www.vut.cz/en/but/f19528/d325615