--- eventsindex_id: "EI-04637" slug: quantum-networks-summit title: "Quantum Networks Summit 2026" title_alt: ["Quantum Networks Summit Paris 2026", "Quantum Networks Summit", "Upperside Quantum Networks"] canonical_url: "https://eventsindex.org/events/quantum-networks-summit.html" next_edition_year: 2026 date_start: 2026-03-25 date_end: 2026-03-26 venue: "Palais des Congres de Paris" city: "Paris" country: "France" organiser: "Upperside Conferences" organiser_url: "https://www.uppersideconferences.com/" b2b: true vector: sector: [quantum-tech] audience: [industry, corporate, researcher, government] format: [summit] purpose: [content, networking] geography_scope: [France] season: spring meta_description: "Quantum Networks Summit 2026 runs 25-26 March at the Palais des Congres de Paris: QKD, post-quantum cryptography and EuroQCI for telecom operators." editorial_take: "The one European quantum event where the audience is carrier network engineers rather than physicists, which makes its agenda a fair proxy for how close quantum-safe networking actually is to procurement." generated_by: "claude-max-cowork" last_verified: "2026-08-18" variables_filled: 23/58 language: "en" schema_version: "v6.0" --- # Quantum Networks Summit 2026 > *A two-day technical summit on 25 and 26 March 2026 at the Palais des Congres de Paris, co-located with the Upperside World Congress, covering the migration path from classical to quantum-safe networking: QKD, post-quantum cryptography timelines, EuroQCI Phase 2 and quantum-safe certification, for telecom operators, network vendors, researchers and public-sector buyers.* --- ## Quick Facts | DATES | VENUE | ORGANISER | ATTENDANCE | |---|---|---|---| | **25-26 March 2026** | **Palais des Congres de Paris** | **Upperside Conferences** | **Not disclosed** | | 2 days, annual, 3rd edition | Paris, France | Commercial conference organiser | Operators, vendors, researchers, public sector | ## Definition The Quantum Networks Summit is a two-day annual B2B conference on quantum communication for telecommunications networks, organised by Upperside Conferences and held in Paris. The third edition runs 25 and 26 March 2026 at the Palais des Congres de Paris, co-located with the Upperside World Congress, which allows a single trip to cover both the operator networking programme and the quantum track. Its subject is the transition from classical to quantum-safe networking: quantum key distribution (QKD), post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration timelines, quantum-secured optical channels, quantum network digital twins, EuroQCI Phase 2 and the standards and certification work that will govern all of it. The audience is drawn from telecom operators, network equipment vendors, research organisations and public-sector stakeholders rather than from the academic quantum community. ## A networking event about quantum, not a quantum event about networking The distinction matters when deciding whether this summit is the right use of two days. Most European quantum conferences are organised around hardware modalities and research results, with communication as one track among computing and sensing. Upperside starts from the opposite end: the organiser's core business is technical conferences for carrier network engineers, and the quantum summit inherits that framing. Sessions are built around what an operator has to decide, budget and deploy, which is why PQC migration timelines and certification sit on the same agenda as QKD physics. Attendees who want quantum hardware roadmaps will find the treatment shallow by design; attendees who need to know when a national carrier can realistically field a quantum-safe transport layer are the intended audience. ## The 2026 edition: co-location with the Upperside World Congress The third edition is held alongside the Upperside World Congress at the same venue, and the organiser sells a combined pass covering both. That arrangement is the practical argument for attending: the quantum summit on its own is a focused two-day programme, while the combined ticket puts the same delegate in front of the wider transport, IP and optical networking community during the same week in Paris. For vendors, it also means the quantum-safe conversation happens next door to the conventional network procurement conversation rather than in a separate venue and a separate month. ## What the 2026 programme covers | Theme | What is at stake | |---|---| | Quantum key distribution (QKD) | Deployment economics, distance and key-rate limits, integration with existing optical transport | | Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) | Migration timelines, crypto-agility in carrier networks, sequencing PQC against QKD investment | | EuroQCI Phase 2 | Progress of the EU quantum communication infrastructure programme and what the second phase asks of national segments and operators | | Quantum-secured optical networks | Carrying quantum channels over production fibre alongside classical traffic | | Quantum network digital twins | Modelling and validating quantum links before physical rollout | | Standards and certification | ETSI and related work defining what counts as a certified quantum-safe network element | ## Who is on the podium The speaker list published for the 2026 edition mixes suppliers, standards bodies and analyst firms rather than academic keynotes, which is consistent with the summit's operator focus. | Category | Organisations named | |---|---| | Network vendors | Nokia, Huawei, Viavi | | Standards bodies | ETSI | | Analyst and research firms | IDC, Telegeography, STL Partners | | Innovation and testbed bodies | Numana | ## Where the summit sits on the European quantum calendar Three neighbouring events cover adjacent ground and are worth distinguishing. The Post-Quantum Cryptography Conference in Amsterdam addresses the same cryptographic transition but from an enterprise IT migration angle, aimed at CISOs and application owners rather than at transport network teams. Quantum Infra Summit EU in Leuven also tracks EuroQCI, with more weight on infrastructure programmes and public funding than on carrier deployment. France Quantum, likewise in Paris, is a national cross-sector gathering spanning computing, sensing and communication, where this summit stays inside one vertical. The Quantum Networks Summit is the narrowest of the four and the only one whose default attendee is a network operator. ## FAQ · Identity and audience ### Who is the Quantum Networks Summit actually for? Telecom operators, network equipment vendors, integrators, research organisations and public-sector stakeholders working on quantum communication infrastructure. The framing assumes a working knowledge of optical and IP networking rather than of quantum physics. ### Is this a QKD event or a post-quantum cryptography event? Both, and the tension between the two is part of the agenda. QKD sessions cover the hardware and optical engineering side, while PQC sessions cover algorithmic migration timelines. Operators attending typically need to decide how the two investments are sequenced, and the programme is built around that question. ### How large is the summit? Attendance figures are not disclosed by the organiser. The format is a single auditorium programme with an accompanying exhibition, which places it well below the scale of the general-purpose European quantum conferences. ## The venue: Palais des Congres de Paris The Palais des Congres de Paris sits at 2 place de la Porte Maillot in the 17th arrondissement, on the western edge of the city. It is served directly by metro line 1 and RER line C at Porte Maillot, and by tram line T3b, putting it roughly fifteen minutes from central Paris and within walking distance of hotels around Porte Maillot and Neuilly. The complex holds several auditoriums and exhibition levels and hosts the co-located Upperside World Congress in the same building. ## The organiser: Upperside Conferences Upperside Conferences is a Paris-based commercial conference organiser specialising in technical telecommunications events, of which the Upperside World Congress is the anchor. The Quantum Networks Summit was launched as a spin-off track and is now in its third edition. Because the organiser is commercial rather than a public programme or an industry association, attendance is open to anyone who buys a pass, with no membership or consortium affiliation required. --- ## Editorial take *The one European quantum event where the audience is carrier network engineers rather than physicists, which makes its agenda a fair proxy for how close quantum-safe networking actually is to procurement.* ## How to register and what it costs Registration runs through the organiser's event page. Three pass types are published, all quoted with 10 percent VAT included, and the two conference passes carry an early bird rate with a stated cut-off of 28 February 2026. | Pass | Early bird (to 28 Feb 2026) | Regular | What it covers | |---|---|---|---| | Quantum Networks Summit | EUR 890 | EUR 990 | Summit auditorium, exhibition, meals, streaming access, event app | | Upperside World Congress + Quantum Networks | EUR 1,950 | EUR 2,190 | Both programmes across the co-located week | | Exhibition only | EUR 290 | EUR 290 | Exhibition floor access, single rate | The combined pass costs roughly EUR 1,200 more than the summit alone, which only pays off for delegates who intend to sit in the World Congress sessions as well. The exhibition-only pass is the low-cost option for suppliers and observers who want floor contact without the auditorium. ## FAQ · Access and practicalities ### How much does it cost to attend? EUR 890 early bird or EUR 990 regular for the Quantum Networks Summit pass, EUR 1,950 to EUR 2,190 for the combined pass with the Upperside World Congress, and EUR 290 for exhibition-only access. All rates include 10 percent VAT. ### Does the pass include the co-located World Congress? No. The summit pass covers the quantum programme only. Access to both requires the combined pass, priced separately. ### Is remote attendance possible? The summit pass includes streaming access alongside on-site attendance, and an event app is provided. The event itself is run in person at the Palais des Congres. ## First time at Quantum Networks Summit? How to prepare - **Choose your pass before the early bird cut-off.** The stated deadline of 28 February 2026 is worth EUR 100 on the summit pass and EUR 240 on the combined pass, and the combined option is easier to justify if booked with travel in one go. - **Decide first whether you are here for QKD or PQC.** The programme spans both, and delegates who arrive without a clear internal question tend to treat the two tracks as interchangeable when their budget implications are not. - **Read the current EuroQCI Phase 2 status beforehand.** Sessions assume familiarity with the programme structure and national segments, and background reading pays off more here than in any other part of the agenda. - **Plan the exhibition around the vendor list, not the other way round.** With Nokia, Huawei and Viavi among the named speakers, the exhibition is small enough to work through methodically in a single break. - **Use the co-location deliberately.** If colleagues are attending the Upperside World Congress in the same building, coordinate meetings across both agendas rather than treating the quantum summit as a standalone trip. - **Book accommodation near Porte Maillot.** The venue is on metro line 1 and RER C, but staying within walking distance saves time on a compressed two-day schedule. ## Resources | Resource | URL | |---|---| | Official website | https://www.uppersideconferences.com/quantum-networks/2026/ | | Registration | https://www.uppersideconferences.com/quantum-networks/2026/ | | Organiser | https://www.uppersideconferences.com/ | | Programme | not disclosed as a separate URL | | LinkedIn | not disclosed | --- **Last verified:** 2026-08-18 **Next review:** 2026-09-17 **Notes:** Dates, venue, pricing tiers, themes and speaker organisations sourced from the organiser's 2026 event page. Attendance figures are not disclosed by the organiser and no estimate is given here. Pricing is quoted with 10 percent VAT included, as published; the early bird cut-off of 28 February 2026 is the organiser's stated deadline. Speaker organisations are those named on the published list and do not imply confirmed individual speakers. **Variables:** 23/58 **Concept definition:** not applicable