The seven-partner PRISM consortium has marked the successful conclusion of PRISM (Physical Security for Public Infrastructure in Malta), Malta's national project as part of the European Ǫuantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroǪCI) initiative. The project concluded on 31st July 2026 after establishing Malta's country-wide quantum communications testbed and delivering an extensive programme of technical development, practical demonstrations, education and public engagement.
PRISM brought together RSM Malta, Merqury Cybersecurity, the University of Malta, Melita, UMNAI, the Malta Information Technology Agency and the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment through the Critical Infrastructure Protection Department.
Deployed over existing telecommunications infrastructure, the PRISM testbed provided practical experience in integrating and operating quantum key distribution technologies within a national network environment. The consortium developed, integrated and tested hardware and software for ǪKD, key management, network control and monitoring, while exploring how these technologies can support communications involving government, telecommunications, research, education, data-centre and critical-infrastructure environments.
The project formed Malta's national contribution to EuroǪCI, the European initiative to establish secure quantum communications infrastructure spanning the whole EU, including its overseas territories. Through technical exchanges, standardisation activity, workshops and activities such as the PRISM Ǫuantum Week, Malta engaged with the European Commission, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, technology providers and other national ǪCI initiatives. As an example, PRISM Ǫuantum Week saw contributions from national projects in Austria, Greece, Portugal, Romania and Spain, contributing to knowledge exchange across the wider European quantum ecosystem.
Several milestones demonstrated the testbed's development from an initial link into a wider operational environment. These included a video call secured using keys supplied through quantum key distribution; the public demonstration of the first PRISM link; a quantum-secured test network between MITA's two government data centres; and the extension of Malta's testbed to Sicily over existing submarine telecommunications infrastructure.
The government data centre testbed was subsequently used to simulate protected backup traffic with synthetic data. The use case exceeded 1,000 hours of continuous operation and provided measurable information on encrypted test traffic, key generation and key consumption without using sensitive live government data.
PRISM also demonstrated how quantum signals can be integrated with established telecommunications infrastructure and how network-level software can make ǪKD links manageable, monitorable and usable by applications. This work helped move quantum-secured communications beyond isolated laboratory links and towards practical deployment in operationally relevant environments.
As project coordinator, RSM Malta highlighted that PRISM's completion reflects the sustained cooperation of seven Maltese organisations, each contributing distinct expertise to a shared national objective. The project has combined coordination, research, telecommunications infrastructure, software development, public-sector experience, education and outreach to establish a strong foundation for Malta's continued participation in Europe's quantum future.
As technical lead, Merqury Cybersecurity highlighted that PRISM has shown what can be achieved when research, industry and the public sector work together to address a complex technological challenge. Malta now has practical experience of integrating quantum communication technologies across a national testbed and applying them to realistic network and data-centre scenarios.
Alongside the technical programme, PRISM invested extensively in education, skills development and public awareness. Activities included public seminars and demonstrations, educational talks, sector-specific briefings, the Ǫuantum Communications Summer School, PRISM Ǫuantum Week, PRISM Business Breakfast, PRISM Hackathon and engagement with students, professionals, government officials and organisations operating essential services.
The Ǫuantum Communications Summer School combined theoretical instruction with practical experience in quantum mechanics, quantum key distribution, error correction and quantum networking. PRISM Ǫuantum Week brought together policymakers, academics, industry representatives, standards specialists and other national EuroǪCI initiatives. The Hackathon gave approximately 40 participants hands-on experience with ǪKD hardware, standardised interfaces, encryption applications and quantum-link monitoring.
The project also supported university-level teaching, internships, school outreach, professional engagement and a sustained public communications programme. These activities helped make quantum communication and quantum-safe networking more visible and understandable while contributing to Malta's future technical skills base.
Although PRISM has reached its formal conclusion, the infrastructure, knowledge and relationships developed through the project provide a foundation for further activity. The experience gained in deploying and operating the testbed positions Malta to contribute to future phases of European quantum communication initiatives and to explore further applications of quantum-secured technologies across various sectors including public services, telecommunications and critical infrastructure.