Sparkle and Hellas Sat Achieve Greece-Cyprus Quantum-Safe Satellite Connection

Key Takeaways

Satellite path: Sparkle and Hellas Sat ran a quantum-safe satellite connection on a live GEO hop of about 72,000 kilometers (Cyprus uplink to the satellite, downlink to Greece).

Prior ground test: The pair announced a quantum-safe IPsec PoC between two data centers in Greece on March 19, 2026.

Commercial stance: The operators will now evaluate quantum-safe satellite services for remote and mission-critical enterprise sites.

Sparkle and Hellas Sat on September 2, 2026 reported a live quantum-safe satellite connection between Greece and Cyprus. The trial extends Sparkle Quantum Safe Interconnect (QSI), a software post-quantum overlay on existing IPsec virtual private networks offered as a Network-as-a-Service add-on, across a geostationary radio path of about 72,000 kilometers (Cyprus uplink to the satellite, downlink to Greece) between Sparkle’s Metamorfosis (Metamorfosi) data center near Athens and Hellas Sat infrastructure in Cyprus. The overlay is meant to protect traffic against store-now-decrypt-later capture as the two operators weigh commercial satellite services for remote and mission-critical sites.

Geostationary Path and QSI Overlay

The operators moved QSI from a ground IPsec tunnel onto a live geostationary circuit. QSI is a software post-quantum overlay on existing IPsec virtual private networks, not quantum key distribution and not a quantum-optical satellite payload.

  • Endpoints: Sparkle data center in Metamorfosis (Metamorfosi), Athens, and Hellas Sat infrastructure in Cyprus.
  • Distance: about 72,000 kilometers of geostationary radio path, covering the Cyprus uplink to the satellite and the downlink to Greece.
  • Platform: Quantum Safe Interconnect (QSI), a software Network-as-a-Service add-on on existing IPsec virtual private network paths.
  • Method: quantum-safe key delivery and automated key rotation on the live satellite circuit.
  • Prior step: a quantum-safe IPsec Proof of Concept between two data centers in Greece, announced March 19, 2026. The announcement date is not a verified laboratory test date.
  • Fleet context: Hellas Sat operates three geostationary satellites and teleports in Greece and Cyprus, including Hellas Sat 3 and Hellas Sat 4 at 39° East. The September release does not name which spacecraft carried the hop.

The announcement presents the trial as the first use of this quantum-safe protection on a satellite link between Greece and Cyprus.

Antonella Sanguineti, Head of Networking, Cloud, Security & Identity Solutions at Sparkle, said QSI “can be deployed consistently across different network layers, connectivity domains, and operational environments” for customers requiring secure, resilient connectivity across geographically distributed sites.

Satellite Service Commercial Evaluation

The satellite trial is framed as a step toward commercial quantum-safe satellite services, not as a signed customer contract. No contract value, launch date, or named customer was disclosed.

  • Partners: Sparkle, an Italy-based international connectivity operator, and Hellas Sat, licensed by Greece and Cyprus for the 39° East slot.
  • Use cases under review: enterprise customers in distributed, remote, and mission-critical locations.
  • Delivery model: software QSI as an add-on to existing network and security stacks, including Network-as-a-Service IPsec virtual private networks.
  • Ground assets: Hellas Sat teleport facilities in Greece and Cyprus.
  • Next action: evaluate commercial availability of quantum-safe satellite services. Independent confirmation of the trial appeared in Cyprus Mail on September 2, 2026.

By combining our satellite infrastructure with Sparkle’s QSI solution, we can now evaluate the commercial deployment of quantum-safe satellite services for enterprise customers operating across distributed, remote, and mission-critical locations.

— Constantinos Kassianides, Director of Ground Operations at Hellas Sat

“By combining our satellite infrastructure with Sparkle’s QSI solution, we can now evaluate the commercial deployment of quantum-safe satellite services for enterprise customers operating across distributed, remote, and mission-critical locations,” said Constantinos Kassianides, Director of Ground Operations at Hellas Sat.

Bottom Line

Sparkle and Hellas Sat moved QSI onto a live Greece-Cyprus satellite hop and will now test commercial remote-site offers.

Find out more here.

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Further articles, reports, and the latest quantum computing news may be found at The Qubit Report.

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