Security by quantum cryptography
The 27 member nations within the European Union (EU) has reached an agreement on a €6 billion-euro satellite internet system, as the European Community (EC) aims to build is own industry of space and communications vendors and end its reliance on foreign suppliers. Representatives from the European Parliament and the European Council, agreed to a ‘deal’ on Thursday, reports Reuters. However, details are vague at the moment, other than that half the the funding will be cannibalised from other projects.
The European Commission announced the initiative to build and operate a satellite internet system in February. The EU scheme is a response to fears over Russian and Chinese military advances in outer space and a surge in satellite launches.
Having its own satellite internet system could help the bloc speed up the rollout of broadband internet in Europe while it would also cover Africa and the Middle East. This would allow the EC to offer alternative options to countries which are currently beholden to Chinese conditions.
A space-based network would flesh out the skeleton service provided by terrestrial networks. They could also provide both backhaul and backup in the event of major outages or disasters. The EC may help to offer connections in places not covered by traditional service providers.
The Commission wants to fund the initiative by diverting €2.4 billion from other EU programmes and use unspent money from other EU projects. The remaining €3.6 billion euros will be expected to come from the private sector. Initial development and satellite launches could start next year. Full services, using the best security that quantum cryptography can offer, will start in 2028.