Call for Papers

The (6G) wireless communication networks promise a multi-function and intelligent digital ecosystem necessitates the development of innovative technologies to achieve sustainable capacity growth of future wireless networks with low cost and energy consumption, ubiquitous wireless environment, and low latency. These challenges have given rise initially to the reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), but further improvement of the performance of communication systems in advanced 6G communications through more innovative solutions can be achieved by introducing multi-function RISs. For example, simultaneously transmitting and reflecting RIS (STAR-RIS) has been proposed as a means to facilitate more flexible system designs in terms of providing 360° coverage instead of the half-space coverage in conventional RISs. On this account, it is indispensable to seek and develop new signal processing and communication techniques for STAR-RIS design. Also, hybrid RISs, being able to simultaneously reflect and absorb incident signals, is another important function of emerging RISs. Furthermore, RIS-based information transmission with RIS acting as an information transmitter that modulates its own messages over the existing modulated or unmodulated RF radio wave generated by other devices is expected to play a crucial role in backscatter communications.

Multi-function RIS can provide full space coverage. For example, STAR-RIS/intelligent omni-surface (IOS) can serve users in front and behind the surface. Multi-function RIS can be incorporated into recent technologies and provide improved integrated sensing and localization services, sensing and communications, and computing and communications. The development of multi-function RIS can be entangled with innovative technologies such as internet-of-things (IoT), internet-of-everything (IoE), and vehicle to everything (V2X). Energy efficient multi-function RISs, spanning sub-6 GHz to millimeter wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) frequencies, can be explored while suggesting intelligent and low-cost architectures. Rate splitting multiple access (RSMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and other more sophisticated multiple access schemes predicated on multi-function RIS developments can result in the amelioration of spectral and energy efficiency of 6G wireless communications. Multi-function RIS can enhance secure communication developed for advanced 6G wireless systems and networking. One of the most promising solutions to massive connectivity and sustainability is the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to obtain optimization-based solutions of multi-function RISs. Multi-function RIS with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites can incorporate autonomous and green operations can enhance mobility and vehicular communications.

Motivated by the current trends in the field of 6G wireless, this Special Issue aims at bringing together leading researchers in the field, both from academia and industry, to share assembling cross-cutting and high-quality original research papers in the following areas, but not limited to:

• Electromagnetic compatibility modeling and signaling for multi-function RIS
• Estimation theory and advanced signal processing for wireless for multi-function RIS
• Resource allocation and management, transmission protocols for multi-function RIS
• Experimentation and testbed findings for applied industrial applications for multi-function RIS
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning assisted wireless for multi-function RIS
• Multiple access schemes, e.g., RSMA, NOMA for multi-function RIS
• Green and autonomous UAVs assisted wireless for multi-function RIS
• Satellite communications and networking, e.g., LEOs, ground-to-space, links for multi-function RIS
• Vehicular communications for multi-function RIS, e.g., V2X, vehicle-to-vehicle networking
• Emerging integrated technologies, such as integrated sensing-comms, localization-sensing, computing-comms for multi-function RIS
• Cell-free wireless, full-duplex, mmWave and THz, Internet-of-Things (IoT) for multi-function RIS
• Security, privacy and interference exploitation challenges for multi-function RIS
• Mobile edge computing, distributed and cloud computing for wireless for multi-function RIS
• Semantic communication, URLLC, mMTC and eMBB for multi-function RIS

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts following the IEEE OJCOMS guidelines. Authors should submit a manuscript trough Manuscript Central.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 26 May 2023
Publication Date: Third Quarter 2023

Lead Guest Editor

Anastasios Papazafeiropoulos
University of Hertfordshire, UK

Guest Editors

Marco Di Renzo
Paris-Saclay University, France

Yuanwei Liu
Queen Mary University of London, UK

Hongliang Zhang
Princeton University, USA

Ertuğrul Başar
Koç University, Turkey

Octavia A. Dobre
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

For inquiries regarding this Special Issue, please contact the Lead Guest Editor.