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Special Issue on Integrated Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks
Submission Date: 2024-12-01

In Release 17, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) initiated the standardization process for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) to enable 5G-based Terrestrial Networks (TN) to support NTN. This release outlines that NTN will encompass satellites and identifies Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and High-Altitude Platforms (HAPs) as special use cases. In Release 17, 3GPP introduced a set of basic features to enable 5G NR operation over NTN in FR1, i.e., up to 7.125 GHz. In the ongoing Release 18, it is expected that 5G NR NTN operations will be enhanced by improving coverage for handheld terminals as well as addressing mobility and service continuity between TN and NTN. A key advantage of NTN is their extensive coverage capability. However, the integration of NTN into TN introduces various technical challenges. Unlike stationary base stations in TNs, some use cases of NTNs utilize satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that move at considerable speeds, introducing challenges like Doppler shift and trajectory-dependent frequency variations. Compensating for these shifts and ensuring user equipment is aware of satellite mobility patterns becomes crucial. Additionally, the extended signal path through the atmosphere results in higher path loss, impacting network performance in terms of latency and capacity. Moreover, such networks are expected to coexist in the spectrum, necessitating efficient dynamic spectrum access strategies, efficient spectrum reuse mechanism and spectrum co-channeling. Furthermore, this seamless integration highly depends on efficient wireless fronthaul and backhaul solutions. Therefore, this Special Issue (SI) aims to provide a compendium of technical papers and vision-setting articles from academia, industry, and standardization activities, focusing on major disruptive trends related to integrated TN and NTN.

Motivated by current trends in the field of integrated TN and NTN, we seek to assemble cross-cutting and high-quality original research papers in the following areas, but not limited to:

 - Beamforming techniques for energy efficient integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Multiple access schemes, e.g., RSMA, NOMA for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Backscatter communications for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Mobility and handover management for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Adaptive protocol and QoS for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - AI for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Energy harvesting, wireless information, and power transfer for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Intelligent reflecting surface design for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Holographic MIMO for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - PHY algorithms and protocol designs for integrated TN-NTN.
 - Cost and power efficient design of integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - Wireless fronthaul and backhaul solutions for integrated TN-NTN networks.
 - AI backed security, privacy, and interference exploitation challenges in integrated TN-NTN based systems.