Q*Bird
Distributes encryption keys between network endpoints and manages their delivery to consuming applications.
Netherlands · Research reviewed 7 Sept 2026Initial record: initial assessment recorded.
Review history 1 record
Record dates show when an assessment or clarification was saved. Review dates show the evidence check. Earlier records were recovered from QubitWire’s source history; no earlier score movement is inferred.
Initial assessment recorded
Assessment reviewed 7 Sept 2026 · Research reviewed 7 Sept 2026
What it does. Where it fits.
Hub-and-spoke MDI-QKD with endpoint key extraction, optical switching and a separate key-management layer.
Who should look closer
Network operators evaluating multi-site QKD and the practical integration of QKD-derived and other cryptographic keys.
QubitWire’s editorial assessment of practical fit.Commercial equipment and deployment enquiry
Falqon devices and key-management software are offered through the supplier. Network topology, fiber availability and authentication architecture must be specified for each deployment.
Check the current access route ↗What has been demonstrated
Q*Bird reports three Utrecht testbed links of 1.9, 7.1 and 11 km. Separately, the Port of Rotterdam confirms a trial linking Portbase and the Port Authority; it describes expansion as future work.
What remains unresolved
Reviewed deployment accounts do not provide a complete independently audited key-rate, loss and uptime benchmark. MDI-QKD does not remove endpoint, authentication or application-security requirements.
The next question to watch
Can operators publish sustained key rates, loss budgets, security assumptions and uptime across larger multi-vendor networks?
A research question, not a promised milestone.QubitWire coverage
No published QubitWire stories currently match this organization. The evidence sources below provide the starting point.
Sources & evidence
- Q*Bird product overview ↗Organization-originated source · Publication date not stated
Falqon equipment comprises end nodes, an optical switch and a central hub for MDI-QKD; the site describes centralized monitoring and a commercial enquiry route.
- Q*Bird and SURF launch a quantum network in Utrecht ↗Organization-originated source · 19 Nov 2024
The supplier reports an operational three-location QKD testbed with 1.9, 7.1 and 11 km fiber connections to a hub. The account is not an independent throughput or security audit.
- Port of Rotterdam half-year update: quantum-network trial ↗Organization-originated source · 18 Jul 2024
The participating port operator names Q*Bird in its consortium and confirms a successful trial with Portbase and Port Authority endpoints. The port is a project partner, not an independent security evaluator.
- Q*Bird Falqon Series brochure ↗Organization-originated source · Publication date not stated
The supplier documents MDI-QKD topology and ETSI004, ETSI014, ETSI020 and SKIP interfaces; its maximum-distance claim is a product specification, not a demonstrated field result in this assessment.
- Falqon Key Manager ↗Organization-originated source · Publication date not stated
Describes key management across QKD and non-QKD environments with on-premise and customer-cloud deployment options. This does not establish blanket end-to-end security.
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