IEEE Communications Magazine provides timely information on all aspects of (electrical/electronic) communications. The magazine covers services (telecommunications, multimedia, Internet and digital), network (including its softwarization, as well as underlying infrastructure) and device technology, support systems, transversal topics like artificial intelligence applied to telecommunications, market trends, strategy and regulatory issues. Articles are tutorial in nature and written in a style comprehensible to readers outside the specialty of the article. These articles are complemented with non-indexed columns.

Special Issue on Generative Foundation Models for Communications
Submission Date: 2024-12-30

Conventional artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its ability to enhance the communication performance by improving channel estimation, signal detection, and error correction, leveraging its strengths in analysis, compression, and feature extraction to boost these critical functions. However, as the industry progresses towards 6G, characterized by extraordinarily high data rates, extremely broad coverage, and ubiquitous network access, traditional AI may face challenges in addressing the complexities resulting from the large volume of data generated by numerous interconnected devices and the real-time requirements in dynamic and unpredictable environments. Generative foundation models (GFMs), marked by innovative models like generative pretrained transformers (GPTs), has emerged as a paradigm shift in overcoming the limitations of traditional AI approaches for communication systems. Specifically, GFMs are powerful for learning the input signal distributions, modeling complex channel distributions, and inferring latent variables for blind channel equalization. 

Despite the significant potential of integrating GFMs with communication, several challenges arise. First, ensuring the security and privacy of communication is a paramount challenge since the GFM system is vulnerable to adversarial attacks in potentially unsecured environments with increasingly sensitive information. Moreover, the large-scale nature and complexity of GFMs introduce difficulties in real-time adaptation to the highly dynamic context of communication systems while maintaining high-performance levels without prior channel knowledge. Accordingly, addressing these challenges is essential for exploiting the full potential of GFMs in enhancing the communication system performance.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    New framework of GFM, e.g., LLMs, Large Language Models (LLMs), Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Normalizing Flows (NFs), Diffusion Models, and Transformers for wireless physical layer communication
    New theories and algorithms of GFM for wireless physical layer communications
    GFM-based channel equalization in wireless physical layer communications
    GFM-empowered channel modeling in wireless physical layer communications
    Wireless signal processing supported by GFM
    GFM-assisted channel estimation for wireless physical layer communications
    Communication security enhancement by GFMs
    GFM-based approach for IRS
    GFM for massive MIMO and extremely large MIMO beamforming
    Near-field communications enabled by GFM
    GFM for joint source-channel coding
    GFM-empowered channel state information (CSI) feedback
    GFM for radio map and channel delay estimation
    GFM-based radio resource management 
    GFM-empowered spectrum sharing and allocation in communication systems 
    Adaptive modulation and coding schemes supported by GFM
    GFM for dynamic spectrum access and cognitive radio networks
    GFM-enabled power control and energy-efficient communications
    GFM for network slicing
    GFM-based scheduling and MAC layer protocols for 5G/6G networks
    Cross-layer optimization and design using GFM
    GFM-enabled access control and admission control mechanisms
    Testbed and real experiments of GFM implementation for communications

Special Issue on Advances in Communication in Public Safety Technologies
Submission Date: 2025-02-15

Public safety technology refers to the various tools and systems that are used to enhance the safety and security of individuals and communities. The current and future size of the public safety sector requires attention to what drives market demands and growing needs. The growing public safety market is constantly looking for novel and better ways to protect critical infrastructure, cities, businesses, and citizens. The current advanced technologies have potential to prepare, anticipate, and respond to these needs. However, dealing with public safety demands is moving at a slower pace than other areas in terms of adopting new technologies. There is a rapid digital transformation in terms of smart buildings and cities, systems automation, and information processing.

Public safety can be enhanced by fast and efficient communications via resilient and secure public communication networks. Reliable communication technologies for public safety are required for many emergency scenarios in real-time in detection and protection. However, many public safety infrastructures still lack leveraging the latest communication technologies to optimally address emergency situations. Additionally, attention is needed to the diverse and special requirements of public safety that cannot be fulfilled by emerging 6G and AI technologies standards. Therefore, this Special Issue (SI) aims to devise novel methods, algorithms, and solutions, which are necessary to make the latest advancements in emerging communication technologies aware of public safety needs.

Original contributions and review papers are sought in the following topics, but are not limited to:

    Resilient and adaptive communication strategies in extreme conditions and multi-hazard environments. 
    Public safety performances with emerging communication technology paradigms (e.g., mmWave/THz, free-space optical communications, multi-access, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, full-duplex communications, non-terrestrial networks, integrated sensing and communications, visible light communications) 
    Crisis communication strategies using social media networks.
    Next-generation public safety operations with mission-critical networks.
    Network modeling for public safety communications.
    Artificial intelligence and machine learning in public safety communication technologies
    Spectrum efficiency and capacity enhancement for public safety networks.
    Coexistence and interoperability solutions for multi-agency collaboration strategies in heterogeneous public safety communication infrastructures.
    Cybersecurity and privacy techniques to enhance public safety communication networks.
    Ethical implications of surveillance technologies in public safety.
    Advanced satellite communication solutions for remote and disaster areas.
    Uncrewed aerial vehicles and drones for surveillance, search and rescue, and disaster response in public safety scenarios.
    Edge computing and fog computing technologies for real-time decision-making in emergencies.
    Integrating Internet-of-Things devices and sensing for enhanced situational awareness in public safety.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the Information for Authors section of the Manuscript Submission Guidelines. Please, check these guidelines carefully before submitting since submissions not complying with them will be administratively rejected without review.

Solicited and invited papers shall undergo the standard IEEE peer review process. After initial screening, the paper will immediately go to the review process. Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts following the IEEE Communication Magazine guidelines. Authors should submit a PDF version of their complete manuscript to IEEE Submission Portal.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 February 2025
Decision notification: 15 May 2025
Final Manuscript Due: 15 July 2025
Publication: November 2025

Guest Editors

Moussa Ayyash (Lead Guest Editor) 
Chicago State University, USA

Nitin Gupta
National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, India

Carolyn McGregor
Ontario Tech University, Canada

Jonathan Pan
Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX), Singapore

Mehmet Ulema
Manhattan College, USA 

May Wang
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, USA

Special Issue on Direct Satellite-to-Device Communications: Technologies, Connectivity, and Spectrum Management
Submission Date: 2025-03-01

This Special Issue (SI) investigates the burgeoning field of direct satellite-to-device (DS2D) communications with an emphasis on the transformative role of advanced technologies, innovative connectivity solutions, and spectrum management/regulation strategies. As DS2D communications become increasingly important in providing global connectivity, especially in remote and underserved regions, the integration of cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency, reliability, and functionality of DS2D communications.

This SI endeavors to explore the foundational concepts of this emerging technology, emphasizing its great potential to bridge the digital divide and extend connectivity to underserved areas. The contributions to this SI delve into various aspects of DS2D communications, including network optimization, resource allocation, signal processing, connectivity enhancement, spectrum efficiency, and robust solution development. By combining cutting-edge research with experts' insights, this SI offers a venue for reporting comprehensive studies on the advancements in DS2D communications across multiple dimensions, paving the way for innovations that can revolutionize wireless connectivity worldwide.

Furthermore, we aim to address the challenges inherent in this topic, such as highdimensionality of satellite networks, the need for efficient spectrum utilization, seamless connectivity, and the complexities of implementing advanced technologies in space environments. This SI also examines case studies, where innovative DS2D communication solutions have been successfully implemented, illustrating tangible benefits and lessons learned.

Finally, this SI presents expert opinions on future trends and potential research directions to provide valuable insights for academia, industry professionals, and policymakers. The goal is to foster a deeper understanding of the multifaceted advancements in DS2D communications, spurring further innovation and research in this vital area. The specific topics that fit into the scope of this SI include, but are not limited to:

    Novel architectural designs for DS2D communications
    Optimized DS2D networks with machine learning models
    Innovative resource allocation strategies in DS2D networks
    Antenna/modem designs for low power consumption, minimal latency, and high reliability DS2D communications
    Signal processing techniques for DS2D communications
    Real-time applications and adaptive algorithms in DS2D systems
    Case studies in DS2D communications
    Security and privacy enhancements in DS2D networks
    Maintenance and management in DS2D systems
    Energy efficiency enhancement in DS2D networks
    Scalable DS2D systems with artificial intelligence
    DS2D communication protocols
    Future trends and enabling technologies in DS2D communications
    Policy and regulation issues in DS2D communications
    Spectrum management and utilization strategies in DS2D systems
    Integration approaches for DS2D and terrestrial networks

The manuscripts that report the results based exclusively on simulations or analysis and small scale experimental evaluations such as bench-testing and lab-testing are outside the scope of this SI. Note that the submissions dealing with traditional satellite communications without explicitly considering direct satellite-to-device (DS2D) communications will be rejected without review.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the Information for Authors section of the Manuscript Submission Guidelines. Please, check these guidelines carefully before submitting since submissions not complying with them will be administratively rejected without review.

All manuscripts to be considered for publication must be submitted by the deadline through Author Portal. Select the topic of “Direct Satellite-to-Device Communications: Technologies, Connectivity, and Spectrum Management” from the drop-down menu of Topic/Series titles. Please observe the important dates specified below.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 March 2025
Decision Notification: 1 June 2025
Final Manuscript Due: 1 August 2025
Publication Date: December 2025

Guest Editors

Zheng Chang
University of Jyvaskyla, Finland

Ning Zhang
University of Windsor, Canada

Jon Montalban
University of the Basque Country, Spain

Tianyang Bai
Google, USA

Hsiao-Hwa Chen
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan