Task-Oriented Communications for Future Wireless Networks

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of future wireless networks is driven by increasingly diverse, task-specific demands. Traditional communication paradigms typically prioritize maximizing connectivity and throughput, often at the expense of addressing the unique requirements of individual tasks. This can result in inefficient resource utilization, excessive energy consumption and suboptimal performance in dynamic environments. To overcome these limitations, task-oriented communication has emerged as a transformative approach. This paradigm emphasizes task-specific objectives, such as latency, reliability or computational efficiency, by intelligently modeling task semantics, adaptively allocating resources and optimizing across different layers. In this situation, this transition from a “connection-centric” to a “task-centric” design is aligned with the core principle of entropy reduction in complex systems, which seeks to minimize uncertainty and maximize utility in future wireless networks. However, several critical challenges remain unresolved, including the lack of unified theoretical frameworks for task-performance metrics and scalable algorithms for coordinating multi-dimensional resources. Therefore, we can conduct interdisciplinary research by using information theory, machine learning and network science, thereby enhancing the service quality of future wireless networks.

This Special Issue seeks to establish a premier platform for advancing task-oriented communications in future wireless networks, bridging theoretical innovation with practical implementation. We invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address fundamental questions, algorithmic breakthroughs, system designs, experimental validations and real-world applications. Contributions are encouraged to explore the synergy between task-oriented principles and entropy-related concepts (e.g., information entropy, system complexity and energy efficiency), spanning topics from AI-driven task adaptation to secure and sustainable network architectures. By fostering collaboration among academia and industry, this issue aims to accelerate the transition toward intelligent, efficient and trustworthy wireless ecosystems tailored to evolving task demands.

Authors are encouraged to submit original research papers and review articles on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Theoretical frameworks and entropy-based performance metrics for task-oriented communications
• AI-driven, context-aware networking for dynamic mission requirements
• Joint optimization of multi-modal tasks
• Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)
• Edge intelligence-enabled architectures for task-oriented communication systems
• Energy-efficient task-driven resource management in low-power wireless scenarios
• Security, privacy and trust in task-oriented non-terrestrial networks
• Task-oriented resource allocation 

Dr. Yixin He
Dr. Dawei Wang
Dr. Fanghui Huang
Dr. Yangfan Liang
Guest Editors

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