Call for Papers

Future wireless networks will be as pervasive as the air we breathe, not only connecting us but embracing us through a web of systems that support personal and societal well-being.  That is, the ubiquity, speed and low latency of such networks will allow currently disparate devices and services to become a distributed intelligent communications, sensing, and computing platform. Small cells, massive MIMO, millimeter-wave communications are three fundamental technologies that will spearhead the emergence of 5G wireless networks – Their advantages are undeniable. The question is, however, whether these technologies will be sufficient to meet the requirements of future wireless networks that integrate communications, sensing, and computing in a single platform. Wireless networks, in addition, are rapidly evolving towards a software-defined design paradigm, where every part of the network can be configured and controlled via software. In this optimization process, however, the wireless environment itself – the medium or channel – is generally assumed uncontrollable and often an impediment to be reckoned with. For example, signal attenuation limits the network connectivity, multi-path propagation results in fading phenomena, reflections and refractions from objects are a source of uncontrollable interference.

Recently, a new concept called Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) has emerged wherein every environmental object is coated with man-made intelligent surfaces of configurable electromagnetic materials. These materials would contain integrated electronic circuits and software that enable control of the wireless medium. Thus, RISs enable telecom operators to sculpt the very medium that comprises the network.  As such, RISs have the potential to fundamentally change how wireless networks are designed and usher in that hoped-for wireless future. But, RISs are not currently well-understood.

This special issue is aimed at reporting the latest and most promising research advances on the modeling, analysis, design, and implementation of RIS-empowered wireless networks, and at envisioning new research directions in this emerging field of research. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

• Communication-theoretic foundation of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Fundamental performance limits of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Algorithms and protocols design/optimization for RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Physics- and electromagnetic-compliant modeling of RISs
• Experimental results and testbed implementations of RISs
• Software-defined design and implementation of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• AI-inspired control and orchestration of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• AI-inspired resource allocation, and smart energy management of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Indoor/outdoor localization in RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Distributed configuration and deployment of RIS-empowered wireless networks
• Nano-networking protocols for intra-RIS communications
• Definition of uses cases, application scenarios, and techno-economic analysis
• Integration of RISs with state-of-the-art wireless technologies (e.g., small cells, Massive MIMO, millimeter-wave communications, visible light communications, THz communication, free space optics, Internet of Things, drones-aided communications, energy harvesting, etc.)

Submission Guidelines

Authors shall adhere to the IEEE JSAC guidelines regarding the manuscript and its format. For details and templates, please refer to the Submit a Manuscript page. All papers need to be submitted via EDAS according to this schedule:

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 December 2019
First Notification: 15 February 2020
Acceptance Notification: 1 April 2020
Final Manuscript Due: 15 April 2020
Planned Publication: Fourth Quarter 2020

Guest Editors

Marco Di Renzo
CNRS & Paris-Saclay University, France

Mérouane Debbah
Huawei, France

Mohamed-Slim Alouini
KAUST, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Chau Yuen
Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore

Thomas Marzetta
New York University & NYU WIRELESS, USA

Alessio Zappone
Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Italy