Call for Papers

The growing demand for data and the evolution of next generation networks, particularly 5G networks, has called for new approaches to pricing and managing the limited capacity of existing network resources and infrastructures. Several recent policy changes and regulatory initiatives have been proposed to address the shift in demands due to next generation networks and technologies. These include the FCC's “5G Fast Plan,” which outlines strategies for modifying spectrum policies, infrastructure policies, and existing regulations, in light of emerging 5G technologies. This plan has included the rollback of net neutrality rules in June 2018, allowing broadband providers to offer a wider variety of service options. 

In addition to these regulatory initiatives, several technologies are needed to enable next generation 5G networks, including the use of new spectrum frequencies, dense infrastructure deployments, and fog/edge computing. Adopting these technologies presents new challenges for innovative smart pricing strategies and business opportunities. Examples include pricing and incentive mechanisms for pooling of distributed resources, including IoT pricing, revenue models and incentives for infrastructure sharing, new data plans for bundling 4G and 5G services, and novel spectrum auction formats. 

These recent developments, from both the regulatory and technological standpoints, open up a range of opportunities for academic and industry research to explore new directions in pricing innovation and policy issues for next generation networks. This special issue solicits original state-of-the-art analytical and empirical research papers that address the following non-exhaustive list of topics:

• Theories, models, and analyses of access pricing/resource monetization
• Fogonomics: Innovation and pricing for IoT and edge/fog networks
• Pricing of IoT services and M2M traffic
• Revenue models for infrastructure sharing, network sharing in competitive markets
• Spectrum resale markets, FCC auctions, spectrum sharing
• Two-sided pricing, reverse billing, and sponsored content
• Role of data analytics in designing/enabling new pricing schemes
• Regulatory challenges, effects of recent policies on data pricing and infrastructure investments

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors should follow the IEEE JSAC manuscript format specified in the IEEE JSAC website. Authors must submit their manuscripts through EDAS.

Important Dates

Manuscript Due: 1 September 2019 (Deadline Extended) 
Acceptance Notification: 1 December, 2020
Final Manuscript Due: 15 January, 2020
Expected Publication: Second Quarter 2020

Guest Editors

Mung Chiang
Purdue University, USA

Rachid El-Azouzi
University of Avignon, France

Lin Gao
Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China

Jianwei Huang
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

Carlee Joe-Wong
Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Soumya Sen
University of Minnesota, USA