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IEEE Communications Standards Magazine

Combining Classical and Quantum Communications in 6G NTN architecture: Challenges and Opportunities

Alexis A. Dowhuszko, Vasilis K. Papanikolaou, Máté Galambos, Carlos Guerra-Yánez, H. M. Salgado, Goran T. Djordjević, Philipp Kleinpaß, Niek J. Doelman

Published Jan 1, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Publisher Copyright: © 2017 IEEE.
DOI
10.1109/mcomstd.2026.3718627

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With the increasing number of commercial 5G deployments, research on beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G has started in earnest. Although it is too early to clearly identify what 6G systems will look like or how they will be designed, it is certain that 6G systems will support novel use cases with challenging key performance indicators (KPIs), which will be empowered by new enabling technologies and network architectures. In parallel with the evolution of cellular systems from 5G toward 6G, quantum information technology (QIT) has been evolving rapidly in recent years in terms of quantum communications and quantum computing. It is envisioned that QIT will enable and boost future 6G systems from both communication and computing perspectives. For example, secure quantum communications such as quantum key distribution can be leveraged to improve 6G security. This article aims to provide a technology-driven and visionary description and exploration on how QIT can be leveraged for future 6G wireless networks.