Quantum Technologies for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: A Tutorial and Roadmap

Abstract

Next-generation (NG) wireless networks, including 6G and beyond, are expected to support intelligent, ultra-reliable, and context-aware services under extreme scalability, heterogeneity, and dynamic conditions. Conventional communication, optimization, and learning frameworks face fundamental limitations in addressing the resulting high-dimensional, non-convex, and time-varying challenges. Quantum technologies, such as quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing, offer fundamentally new capabilities by leveraging quantum-mechanical principles such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum coherence. In parallel, quantum-inspired algorithms provide a practical, near-term pathway for exploiting quantum principles on classical hardware. This tutorial presents a unified perspective on the role of quantum technologies in enabling NG wireless networks. It systematically examines the contributions of each quantum pillar across protocol layers and highlights the integration of quantum-inspired algorithms as a deployable bridge. The paper provides both a near-term roadmap and a long-term vision toward quantum-enabled and quantum-native wireless networks.