Call for Papers

4G/5G communication system designs have been extensively based on the principle of treating interference as noise. Though such approach leads to simpler architecture, it is suitable only when interference level is weak enough. 6G mobile communication is envisioned to cope with high throughput, ultra-reliability, heterogeneity of Quality-of-Service (QoS), massive connectivity, and new integrated wireless services (e.g., communication-sensing-localization), which all require a more efficient use of the spectrum and more efficient ways to manage interference. Rate splitting (RS) is recognized as a promising PHY-layer transmission paradigm for non-orthogonal transmission, interference management and multiple access strategies in 6G. By splitting user messages into common and private parts at the transmitter, and partially decoding interference and treating remaining part of the interference as noise, RS enables to softly bridge and therefore reconcile the two extreme interference management strategies of treating interference as noise (as commonly used in 4G/5G in multi-user/massive/millimetre wave MIMO) and fully decoding interference (as in non-orthogonal multiple access-NOMA). Recent research progress has shown that RS provides significant room for spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, coverage, user fairness, reliability, QoS enhancements in a wide range of network loads and user deployments, robustness against imperfect channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) and user mobility, as well as feedback overhead, complexity, and latency reduction over conventional strategies used in 5G. Thanks to its versatility, RS can be used to tackle many emerging challenges in 6G and opens the door to a goldmine of research problems for both industry and academia spanning fundamental limits, optimization, PHY and MAC layers, implementation, and standardization.

This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art technology, theory, design, optimization, and applications of RS in many different scenarios relevant to 6G and future networks. Original technical contributions are solicited in the relevant areas including, but not limited to, the following:

• RS-based robust interference management to achieve the fundamental limits of wireless networks
• RS for MIMO networks (MU-MIMO, massive MIMO, network MIMO, cell-free massive MIMO, etc)
• Rate Splitting Multiple Access (RSMA)
• Cross-layer design, optimization and performance analysis of RS
• Coding and modulation for RS, finite blocklength coding with RS, RS with emerging waveform (OTFS, etc)
• Physical layer security for RS
• RS for millimetre wave and terahertz communications
• RS in cloud-enabled platforms/radio access networks (cloud/fog/caching)
• RS in coordinated multiple point (CoMP), cooperative communications, relaying, cognitive radio
• RS in vehicle-to-everything (V2X), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), satellite, space–air–ground networks
• RS in intelligent reflecting surfaces, integrated sensing-communications, wireless powered communications
• RS in 6G services such as enhanced eMBB, enhanced URLLC, enhanced MTC, massive MTC
• RS in Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks, massive and grant-free random access
• RS in artificial intelligence/machine learning-empowered wireless communication networks
• Implementation and standardization of RS

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: 1 July 2022 22 July 2022 (Extended Deadline)
First Notification: 15 September 2022
Acceptance Notification: 1 December 2022
Final Manuscript Submission: 15 December 2022
Publication Date: Second Quarter 2023

Guest Editors