The Quantum Internet: Enhancing Classical Internet Services One Qubit at A Time

Nowadays, the classical Internet is mainly envisioned as the underlying communication infrastructure of the Quantum Internet, aimed at providing services such as signaling and coordination messages. However, the interplay between the classical and the quantum Internet is complex and its understanding is pivotal for an effective design of the Quantum Internet protocol stack. The aim of the article is to shed light on this interplay, by highlighting the fact that such an interplay is indeed bidirectional rather than unidirectional. The Quantum Internet exhibits the potential of supporting and even enhancing classical Internet functionalities.