B5G/6G Networks: Directions and Advances

A special issue of Signals (ISSN 2624-6120).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 8072

Special Issue Editors

Engineering Product Development Pillar, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore
Interests: AI-empowered wireless networks; B5G/6G; resource allocation; mobile/multi-access edge computing; reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)
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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
Interests: cooperative communications; Internet of Things; trajectory optimization; UAV
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Guest Editor
School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK
Interests: communication networks; artificial intelligence; 6G
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, based on the achievements and standardization of 5G, researchers have started to conceptualize beyond-5G (or 6G) networks with the vision of integrating sensing, communication, computation, and control functionalities. To achieve multi-dimensional functionalities, state-of-the-art wireless technologies (e.g., THz communication and millimeter-wave communications) have appeared to promote the development of B5G/6G applications. However, these technologies usually demand high computation capability and communication resources, thereby posing a significant challenge for the design and implementation of B5G/6G systems. To alleviate these challenges, promising techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), and new multi-access techniques have emerged for the design and optimization of B5G/6G networks with great promise. Thus, the convergence of these advanced techniques and network design will potentially pave the way toward a sustainable B5G/6G ecosystem.

However, current research on wireless networks cannot fully satisfy the performance requirements of some applications and services of B5G/6G in terms of latency and reliability. In this context, this Special Issue (SI) aims to bring together researchers from academia and industry to explore recent advances on B5G/6G networks design and optimization. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Wireless resource allocation and mobility management;
  • Energy harvesting, power control and wireless power transfer;
  • Channel estimation and prediction;
  • New multi-access and modulation (NOMA, OTFS, SCMA, etc.);
  • B5G/6G-aided Internet-of-Things (IoT);
  • Ultra-high reliability and low-latency communications (URLLC);
  • Coverage enhancement based on reconfigurable intelligent surfaces;
  • Interference avoidance, management, and cancellation techniques;
  • New communications and networks technologies, such as visible light communication (VLC), optical networks and aerial access networks;
  • Efficient computation offloading technologies;
  • Wireless spectrum sensing, localization and signal processing;
  • Communication-efficient machine learning techniques (such as transfer learning, federated learning, and deep reinforcement learning);
  • Security and privacy issues in B5G/6G communications;
  • Testbed, software, and platforms design for supporting B5G/6G networks.

Submit your paper and select the Journal “Signals” and the special issue “B5G/6G Networks: Directions and Advances” via: MDPI submission system. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis and we will be pleased to receive your submission once you have finished it.

Dr. Bo Yang
Dr. Hongliang Zhang
Dr. Shuping Dang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Signals is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 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.

Keywords

  • artificial intelligence (AI)
  • reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs)
  • B5G/6G
  • mobile/multi-access edge computing
  • resource allocation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1601 KiB  
Article
Multi-Connectivity-Based Adaptive Fractional Packet Duplication in Cellular Networks
by Rahul Arun Paropkari and Cory Beard
Signals 2023, 4(1), 251-273; https://doi.org/10.3390/signals4010014 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
Mobile networks of the fifth generation have stringent requirements for data throughput, latency and reliability. Dual or multi-connectivity is implemented to meet the mobility requirements for certain essential 5G use cases, and this ensures the user’s connection to one or more radio links. [...] Read more.
Mobile networks of the fifth generation have stringent requirements for data throughput, latency and reliability. Dual or multi-connectivity is implemented to meet the mobility requirements for certain essential 5G use cases, and this ensures the user’s connection to one or more radio links. Packet duplication (PD) over multi-connectivity is a method of compensating for lost packets by reducing re-transmissions on the same erroneous wireless channel. Utilizing two or more uncorrelated links, a high degree of availability can be attained with this strategy. However, complete packet duplication is inefficient and frequently unnecessary. The wireless channel conditions can change frequently and not allow for a PD. We provide a novel adaptive fractional packet duplication (A-FPD) mechanism for enabling and disabling packet duplication based on a variety of parameters. The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and fade duration outage probability (FDOP) are important performance indicators for wireless networks and are used to evaluate and contrast several packet duplication scenarios. Using ns-3 and MATLAB, we present our simulation results for the multi-connectivity and proposed A-FPD schemes. Our technique merely duplicates enough packets across multiple connections to meet the outage criteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue B5G/6G Networks: Directions and Advances)
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26 pages, 27604 KiB  
Article
WISCANet: A Rapid Development Platform for Beyond 5G and 6G Radio System Prototyping
by Jacob Holtom, Andrew Herschfelt, Isabella Lenz, Owen Ma, Hanguang Yu and Daniel W. Bliss
Signals 2022, 3(4), 682-707; https://doi.org/10.3390/signals3040041 - 9 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2396
Abstract
Validating RF applications is traditionally time consuming, even for relatively simple systems. We developed the WISCA Software-Defined Radio Network (WISCANet) to accelerate the implementation and validation of radio applications over-the-air (OTA). WISCANet is a hardwareagnostic control software that automatically configures and controls a [...] Read more.
Validating RF applications is traditionally time consuming, even for relatively simple systems. We developed the WISCA Software-Defined Radio Network (WISCANet) to accelerate the implementation and validation of radio applications over-the-air (OTA). WISCANet is a hardwareagnostic control software that automatically configures and controls a software-defined radio (SDR) network. By abstracting the hardware controls away from the user, WISCANet allows a non-expert user to deploy an OTA application by simply defining a baseband processing chain in a high level language. This technology reduces transition time between system design and OTA deployment, accelerates debugging and validation processes, and makes OTA experimentation more accessible to users that are not radio hardware experts. WISCANet emulates real-time RF operations, enabling users to perform real-time experiments without the typical restrictions on processing speed and hardware capabilities. WISCANet also supports multiple RF front-ends (RFFEs) per compute node, allowing sub-6 and mmWave systems to coexist on the same node. This coexistence enables simultaneous baseband processing that simplifies and enhances advanced algorithms and beyond-5G applications. In this study, we highlight the capabilities of WISCANet in several sub-6 and mmWave over-the-air demonstrations. The open source release of this software may be found on the WISCA GitHub page. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue B5G/6G Networks: Directions and Advances)
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24 pages, 1172 KiB  
Article
Intelligent Network Service Optimization in the Context of 5G/NFV
by Panagiotis A. Karkazis, Konstantinos Railis, Stelios Prekas, Panagiotis Trakadas and Helen C. Leligou
Signals 2022, 3(3), 587-610; https://doi.org/10.3390/signals3030036 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2110
Abstract
Our contemporary society has never been more connected and aware of vital information in real time, through the use of innovative technologies. A considerable number of applications have transitioned into the cyber-physical domain, automating and optimizing their routines and processes via the dense [...] Read more.
Our contemporary society has never been more connected and aware of vital information in real time, through the use of innovative technologies. A considerable number of applications have transitioned into the cyber-physical domain, automating and optimizing their routines and processes via the dense network of sensing devices and the immense volumes of data they collect and instantly share. In this paper, we propose an innovative architecture based on the monitoring, analysis, planning, and execution (MAPE) paradigm for network and service performance optimization. Our study confirms distinct evidence that the utilization of learning algorithms, consuming datasets enriched with the users’ empirical opinions as input during the analysis and planning phases, contributes greatly to the optimization of video streaming quality, especially by handling different packet loss rates, paving the way for the achievable provision of a resilient communications platform for calamity assessment and management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue B5G/6G Networks: Directions and Advances)
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