We are pleased to announce a keynote lecture by Angela Sara Cacciapuoti (University of Naples Federico II) at IEEE Mediterranean Communication and Computer Networking Conference (MeditCom) 2026 in Cagliari. The keynote will explore emerging architectural principles for the Quantum Internet, focusing on the role of entanglement as a fundamental networking resource and its implications for network design, control, and protocol organization.
Date: 9 July 2026
Time: 11:00 AM
Abstract:
The Quantum Internet cannot be designed as a simple extension of the classical Internet, because its key network resource — quantum entanglement — is non-local, stateful, and inherently volatile. This talk examines how treating entanglement as a network resource reshapes both architecture and protocol organization. It argues that entanglement control must become an explicit architectural function, and shows why scalability requires abstractions native to entanglement rather than borrowed from topology-driven classical networking. It also discusses why rigid layering becomes structurally inadequate in the Quantum Internet, and why a more suitable organizing principle is based on context-driven composition, dynamic protocol assembly, and in-band procedural control. To ground the discussion, the talk presents also Q2NS, an extensible co-simulation framework that combines quantum-state evolution, control logic, and classical networking mechanisms. Overall, the talk advocates a resource-first view of the Quantum Internet: once entanglement is treated as the network resource, architecture, control, and protocol organization must evolve accordingly — the Quantum Internet begins in its resource.
We look forward to this thought-provoking keynote and to the discussions it will inspire among researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of quantum technologies, networking, and communication systems. The lecture will offer valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities involved in building the next generation of quantum-native network infrastructures.
