ROME, August 07, 2024 -- Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, announces the successful completion of a Network-as-a-Service Proof of Concept (PoC) on a quantum-safe Internet use case.

Realized in collaboration with leading companies Arqit Quantum Inc. , Intel, Adtran, and also supported by Telsy, a TIM Group company specializing in cybersecurity, the trial was carried out on Sparkle’s metropolitan fiber optic network in Athens and demonstrated the agile and fully automated implementation of an on-demand MEF Internet Access Service secured by post-quantum cryptography.

This PoC follows an earlier successful trial carried out on an International VPN between Italy and Germany. By integrating connectivity functions with Arqit quantum-safe encryption into an Intel-powered NetSec accelerator card used as Universal Customer Premises Equipment (uCPE), Sparkle tested the instantiation of a NaaS solution composed by on-demand networking and security capabilities, leveraging Adtran’s Ensemble cloud-based orchestration and automation software solution.

“Our NaaS vision is rooted in the belief that connectivity should be seamless, ubiquitous, secure and adaptable” said Daniele Mancuso, Chief Marketing & Product Management at Sparkle. “We envision a world where businesses can effortlessly scale their Wide Area Networks, adapting to changing demands with agility and precision. NaaS enables this by offering flexible, on-demand network services that are easily customizable to meet the unique needs of each customer. Whether it’s expanding bandwidth during peak times, ensuring low latency for critical applications, or providing secure connections for sensitive data, Sparkle’s NaaS solutions are designed to deliver unparalleled performance and reliability”.

The commercial launch of Sparkle’s NaaS/Quantum-Safe Internet (NaaS/QSI) is planned for later this year and will be progressively followed by other use cases composing Sparkle’s Naas Suite.