Advances in Wireless Communications and Networks

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will highlight recent innovations and research in the field of wireless communication, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges of an increasingly connected world. The rapid growth of IoT, the integration of satellite, aerial, and terrestrial networks, and the advent of AI-driven methodologies have led to an urgent need for advanced, efficient, and secure wireless systems. The Special Issue invites contributions that explore Reconfigurable Intelligent Metasurfaces (RIMs) for optimizing wireless environments, advanced network architectures and protocols, and wireless communications for IoT. It also seeks research on Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), introducing new capabilities for enhancing communication capacity, and Integrated Communication and Sensing (ICAS), essential for applications like autonomous vehicles and beyond-5G smart environments. We also encourage submissions on AI-based Wireless Communications, focusing on how AI optimizes and enhances network management and signal processing, and on Sky, Space, and Ground Integrated Wireless Communications, which enable seamless global connectivity by integrating various networks. Security and privacy issues are also central to this collection, given the growing scale and significance of wireless networks. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and communications that advance understanding in these areas, providing a comprehensive overview of future wireless communication networks.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

1. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for Smart Wireless Environments: The concept of controlling and optimizing wireless environments through programmable metasurfaces has gained traction in recent years. We invite papers that explore the design, analysis, and application of RIM technologies, highlighting the benefits that they offer in terms of coverage, energy efficiency, and security in wireless communications.
2. Wireless Communications in the Internet of Things (IoT): With the proliferation of IoT devices, efficient communication protocols and network architectures are critical. We welcome research that addresses challenges related to massive connectivity, energy efficiency, security, and scalability, as well as novel wireless technologies that enhance IoT communication networks.
3. Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) for Wireless Communication and Sensing: The use of OAM in wireless communications provides a new degree of freedom to improve spectrum efficiency and capacity. We encourage submissions exploring the practical implementation of OAM in communication systems, including antenna design, signal processing, and sensing applications.
4. Integrated Communication and Sensing (ICAS): The convergence of communication and sensing functionalities is expected to be a key component of future wireless systems, especially in the context of smart environments, autonomous vehicles, and beyond-5G networks. We are interested in research contributions that focus on integrated hardware and signal processing techniques, novel use cases, and joint optimization strategies to enhance the efficiency and reliability of ICAS systems.
5. Advanced Network Architectures and Protocols: Submissions addressing the development of new protocols, architectures, and algorithms for optimizing performance in wireless networks are highly encouraged. Topics include network slicing, edge computing integration, non-terrestrial networks, and AI/ML-based optimization for wireless communications.
6. Security and Privacy in Wireless Networks: As wireless networks expand in scale and importance, ensuring secure communication is a paramount concern. We welcome research that addresses security challenges, proposes novel cryptographic mechanisms, or leverages AI/ML for anomaly detection and threat mitigation in wireless networks.
7. AI-Based Wireless Communications: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative technology in enhancing wireless communication systems. We encourage submissions on AI-driven techniques for network optimization, resource management, intelligent signal processing, and predictive analytics that improve the overall efficiency, reliability, and scalability of wireless communication networks.
8. Sky, Space, and Ground Integrated Wireless Communications: Sky, Space, and Ground Integrated Wireless Communications is an emerging field that provides seamless connectivity by integrating terrestrial, aerial, and satellite networks. We welcome submissions that explore the architecture, protocol design, and performance analysis of integrated wireless communication systems, focusing on improving coverage, reliability, and network efficiency.

Dr. Yufei Zhao
Dr. Deyu Lin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 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.

• reconfigurable intelligent metasurface
• wireless communications
• Internet of things (IoT)
• orbital angular momentum (OAM)
• integrated communication and sensing (ICAS)
• edge computing
• network slicing
• security in wireless networks
• AI/ML for communication
• non-terrestrial networks (NTNs)