The consortium of Light Bridges (Spain), QEYnet (Canada), and Canary Global Foundation (USA) will transform the Tenerife robotic telescope into an ultra-secure quantum ground station.
December, 8th, 2025 // Light Bridges, QEYnet, and Canary Global Foundation are pleased to announce that the CANA-QKD project has been successfully approved under the highly competitive Eurostars-3 programme. This significant achievement is supported by national funding mechanisms in Spain (CDTI) and Canada (NRC), reflecting a shared commitment to advancing next-generation secure communications.
The CANA-QKD project is the first private initiative aiming to establish a quantum communication link between Europe and North America. Its objective is to upgrade the Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) in Tenerife into a quantum optical ground station capable of performing ultra-secure Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with satellites during real operating conditions.
The consortium brings together Light Bridges (Spain) as coordinator, QEYnet (Canada) as provider of satellite-compatible quantum technologies, and the Canary Global Foundation (United States) responsible for patronage, validation, and outreach. The partners will integrate adaptive tracking, precision optics, and a full QKD stack interoperable with satellites at Low Earth Orbit. The initiative has also benefited from the guidance of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Ottawa, which has facilitated institutional coordination between the Spanish and Canadian sides.
The outcome will be the first operational demonstration of intercontinental QKD between Europe and North America
Over its 12-month duration, CANA-QKD will retrofit the TTT to achieve polarization stability, robust satellite acquisition and tracking, and secure key rates compliant with ETSI/NIST standards. The project will generate the first comprehensive dataset of intercontinental quantum-link performance with the Canary Islands. Its development has been strengthened by Light Bridges’ participation in ICEX VIVES and ICEX NEXT, which have contributed to the company’s internationalisation strategy and its collaboration capacity with North American partners.
The outcome will be the first operational demonstration of intercontinental QKD between Europe and North America, accompanied by protocols, software, and integration guidelines enabling replication in other ground stations. The project will also establish a scalable business model based on quantum comms, intellectual property licensing, and integration services.
Overall, CANA-QKD positions the consortium—and particularly Canada and the Canary Islands—as a hub for global quantum communications. The project strengthens technological sovereignty in a strategically critical field, deepens Spain–Canada cooperation, and lays the foundation for a future international network of quantum ground and space stations.
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