Call for Papers

While 5G is being deployed around the world, the efforts and initiatives from academia, industry, standard bodies have started to look beyond 5G and conceptualize 6G mobile wireless networks. In contrast to the previous generations of wireless-networking developments, we envision 6G to undergo an unprecedented transformation to revolutionize the wireless evolution from connected things to connected intelligence supporting much more stringent quality of service (QoS) provisioning, such as ultra-high data rates (> 1 Tera bit/s), massive low-latency (< 1 ms), super-high reliability (> 99.99999%), extra-high spectrum-bands (0.1–10 THz), connected artificial intelligence (AI) with machine-learning capacity, AI networking hierarchy, etc. These emerging multi-dimensional QoS performances metrics stem from the exponential growth of mobile wireless traffic volumes and diversities caused by time-sensitive and spectrum-extensive multimedia streaming, decision-making signaling, wireless-networked remote-control/-actuation, haptics, XR (AR/MR/VR), telemedicine, holographic radios, 3D-UAV, V2X, autonomous driving, E-health, and many other, yet unknown, use-cases of Internet-of-Everything (IoE). However, these emerging and highly-demanded use-cases call for revolutionary, innovative, and novel enabling theories, architectures, protocols, and techniques on efficiently optimizing spectrum and energy efficiencies, cost-efficient communications for AI-driven 6G mobile wireless networks, which impose a great deal of new challenges, but also opportunities as well, not encountered before. Correspondingly, this Special Issue recruits the unpublished research works tackling the above challenges.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• PHY-layer 6G enablers: cell-free massive-MIMO, mmWave, massive access, Full-Duplex, D2D, NOMA, etc.
• AI-driven statistical delay-bounded QoS/QoE provisioning for massive-URLLC services in 6G
• 6G New Spectrum: THz Ad Hoc Wireless Nano-Networks, Nano-Devices, Nano-Techniques/Architectures
• Information theoretic foundations for asymptotic/non-asymptotic 6G performances modeling
• FBC-based short-packets communications for supporting massive URLLC in 6G mobile wireless networks
• Heavy-tail modeling, risk-sensitive learning, scaling theories for 6G mobile wireless networks
• Age-of-Information (AoI)-driven theory for 6G mobile wireless networks
• Energy-efficiency/harvesting optimization, wireless power transmitting/charging, and WIPT for 6G
• Edge-AI-enabled 6G: AI-based edge computing, edge caching, edge offloading, etc.
• AI-based 6G enabled Network-layer protocols, algorithms, frameworks, infrastructures, IoT devices.
• Intelligent-Reflecting-Surface (IRS) and controlled Hyper-Surface tile techniques for 6G
• AI-based network-layer architectures: ICN, SDN, NFV, CRAN, femtocells, small/micro cell, etc. for 6G
• Cross-layer optimizations based federated-AI and multi-agent distributed learning and deep learning
• AI-driven channel modeling, estimation, and presentation techniques for 6G wireless networks
• 6G-based spectrum-efficiency optimization and dynamic spectrum allocations
• 6G-enabled UAV, self-powered airborne wireless networks, 3D radios/AP and relay wireless networks
• AI-oriented efficiency for multiple deep-learning-networks based inference models for 6G
• 6G-enabled random distributed signal detection, estimation, and data fusion centers
• 6G-driven big-data classifications, aggregations, and data centers architectures
• 6G-enabled scalability, reliability, security, privacy, integrity, and trust preservations
• 6G-based game theories, data mining, cloud computing, cloudlet, fog-computing, etc.
• 6G-applications: smart grid, smart cities, smart home, smart mobility, smart E-health, etc.

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors are invited to submit their manuscripts electronically, adhering to the IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering guidelines. Note that the page limit is the same as that of regular papers. Please submit your papers through the online system and be sure to select the special issue or special section name. Manuscripts should not be published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only full papers intended for review, not abstracts, to the ScholarOne portal. If requested, abstracts should be sent by e-mail directly to the Guest Editors.

Important Dates

Manuscripts Due: 15 December 2020 (Extended Deadline)
Peer Reviews to Authors: 1 February 2021
Revised Manuscripts Due: 15 March 2021
Second-Round Reviews to Authors: 15 April 2021
Final Accepted Manuscript Due: 15 May 2021

Guest Editors