Abstract

Quantum Communications and Networking: Series 4 Page 1 IEEE Network • July/August 2026 14 GUEST EDITORIAL Quantum communication researchers have achieved signif- icant progress during the recent decades and quantum networking has shown promise in terms of improving the overall functional benefits of the Internet and enabling applications with no counterpart in the classical world. It is a breakthrough technology towards the unimaginable future. In a quantum network, the source and destination may be connected by quantum repeaters/routers for facilitating qubit transmissions. The quantum network of the future is envisaged to pervade the entire globe, relying on terrestrial components, satellites, airplanes, ships and other vehicles. It is anticipated that it will support nearly unconditional security, super-computing power, large network capacity–even at high velocity–and privacy. In the current era, …