Call for Papers

Targeting ultra-reliable and scalable connectivity of extremely high data rates in the Tbit/s regime at zero-perceived latency in 6G systems would require taking advantage of breakthrough novel technology concepts, including THz wireless links, broadband and spectrally efficient RF-frontends for a variety of different bands, the employment of intelligent materials (e.g. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces) and the design of Machine Learning-based models, protocols and management techniques. To materialize the 6G vision, novel wireless technologies will need to be devised, including channel, waveforms, beamforming and multiple-access schemes, all tailored to the particularities of the adopted breakthrough technologies. As challenging Tbit/s usage scenarios are becoming ever more relevant for the envisioned 6G use cases, including Non-Line-of-Sight and Ad hoc connectivity in fast moving network topologies, e.g., 3D mobility based on drones or V2X links, performance targets need to be reassessed. In such scenarios, apart from the high data rates in the order of Tbit/s other critical parameters may arise as more relevant: range, reliability, adaptability, reconfigurability and agility, to name just a few.

Together with extraordinary promises, 6G communications bring unique and new challenges that require rethinking of classical communications and networking mechanisms. The root cause for these challenges is the multiplicity of critical performance metrics to be addressed under several newly faced particularities, such as extremely high bandwidth, extreme path loss and severe blockage probability due to high frequencies propagation properties, highly directional links etc. In addition, new design tools at our disposal, i.e., artificial intelligence and other machine learning techniques, motivate revisiting the layered design approach that has historically served as the mainstream method for tackling complex problems.

An interesting common characteristic of all potential 6G technology breakthroughs is that they attempt to introduce native intelligence as integral part of the wireless system design by means of two beyond Shannon approaches:

1. By jointly optimizing the transmitter, the receiver, and the environment, through the use of programmable intelligent materials, the performance of wireless networks may further exceed the limits predicted by the classical Shannon Theory.
2. Moreover, focusing on semantic and goal-oriented aspects, which help the receiver identify the relevant information, i.e. the information necessary to recover the meaning intended by the transmitter, performance assessment goes beyond the common Shannon paradigm of guaranteeing the correct reception of each single transmitted bit, irrespective of the meaning conveyed. Semantic compression and effectiveness of the information exchanged are therefore becoming the relevant performance objectives. Examples of this system concept include the predictive optimization of the communication link, through the use of rich digital twin representation of the physical world that is expected to be available in the 6G era through, for example, use of cameras and other data.

Motivated by the transformation potential and the associated challenges of the beyond Shannon Communications framework for 6G systems, this Special Issue seeks to identify the critical technology gaps as well as the feasible enablers in terms of information and communication theory fundamentals, signal processing, propagation and channel modeling, waveforms and signals design, coding, resource management and medium access control schemes. Most importantly, this Special Issue aims to shed light on the potential accelerators or showstoppers in the adoption of beyond Shannon communication technologies, as viewed by the different stakeholders, both incumbent and newcomers.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces in wireless systems: channel models, fundamental performance, algorithm and protocol design
• Holographic MIMO communication systems: physics-based modeling, signal processing, network optimization and emerging applications
• 3D connectivity and intelligence support wireless systems
• Semantics-native and goal-oriented communication systems: critical components modeling and validation, mathematical frameworks, fundamental trade-offs and limits
• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for wireless systems modeling, analysis, design and optimization
• System architecture and HW design implications for Beyond Shannon 6G paradigms.

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts following the IEEE JSAC guidelines. Authors should submit a PDF version of their complete manuscript to EDAS according to the following schedule:

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 August 2022 (Deadline Extended)
First Notification: 15 December 2022
Acceptance Notification: 1 February 2023
Final Manuscript Due: 15 March 2023
Planned Publication: Second Quarter 2023

Guest Editors