Emerging and Future Industrial Communications and Networks

Dear Colleagues,

A key enabling factor in the fourth wave of the industrial revolution (4IR) is the concept of infrastructure digitalization. New technologies to advance the Internet-of-Things (IoT), industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) and fifth-generation (5G) wireless networking are emerging alongside existing technologies to interconnect sensors, actuators and command-and-control units in a diverse range of smart applications in areas such as factories, logistics/supply chain, construction/built environment and energy generation/distribution networks. This blurring of the lines between the physical and digital worlds, and the integration of computing and communication systems, provides the extreme connectivity required to provide advanced automation and novel analytics that have to date not been achievable. This increasing requirement of extreme connectivity—coupled with networks and distributed device heterogeneity across a diverse range of application areas—creates a need for fundamental and applied research into emerging and future algorithms, protocols and technologies employed in industrial communications, along with appropriate analysis and modelling techniques for verification.

This Special Issue invites submissions from researchers and practitioners working in related areas of industrial communications and/or infrastructure digitization. The main objective of this Special Issue is to promote a venue for cutting-edge fundamental/applied research, technology development and innovation related to industrial communications and infrastructure digitization. Original contributions in these areas are solicited for this Special Issue. The list of possible topics includes, but is not limited to:

• New and emerging paradigms for industrial communication networks;
• Security and dependability issues in emerging and future industrial communication networks;
• Advances in industrial ethernet/wireless/fieldbus networks;
• IP-based and web-based industrial communication networks;
• Integration and interoperability of industrial communication networks;
• Modelling techniques for industrial communication networks;
• Novel communication technologies and paradigms for Industry 4.0;
• Real-time communication analysis and novel quality-of-service provisions for industrial networks;
• Application studies and case studies related to novel uses of industrial networks and/or infrastructure digitalization and automation.

Dr. Michael Short
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Future Internet is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Industrial Communications
• Internet of Things
• Industrial Internet of Things
• 5G Technology
• Industry 4.0