Welcome to IEEE Network - The Magazine of Global Internetworking. IEEE Network, published bimonthly, offers readers topics of interest to the networking community. As such, IEEE Network provides a focus for highlighting and discussing major computer communications issues and developments. The articles are intended to be surveys or tutorials, slanted towards the practical, and comprehensible to the nonspecialist, as well as practitioners.

Special Issue on Emerging Technologies Regarding Spectrum Usage and System Design in a New Study Cycle
Submission Date: 2025-01-01

As the fast commercial deployment of 5G is planned or ongoing in many parts of the world, researchers have now moved on to study the next-generation communication systems, the 6G. In the industrial society, some highly influential standard development organizations (SDOs) have also pointed out way forward towards 6G. Among them, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) both settled down their timetable for the 6G development. 

After a long discussion, the 3GPP agreed to freeze the first release of 6G air interface standards in 2029 or 2030. This is coherent with the technology submission and evaluation window of the ITU, and will give the industry sufficient time to put together a novel and exciting new generation with solid and strong technical support to many emerging use cases. It is envisioned that new spectrum will be used for 6G, and groundbreaking technologies, such as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) and machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), will provide new ways of utilizing the limited spectrum for more services.

The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) is a global, inter-governmental treaty conference held every four years by the ITU. It is the responosibility of the WRC to review and revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaties governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum, and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. Although the WRC discussions usually do not go deep into scientific and technical aspects, its decisions would have significant impact on future wireless systems. The outcomes from the ITU conference (WRC-2023) have set the stage for the mobile sector’s continued evolution. Governments and research institutions have come together, reaching pivotal agreements on new spectrum allocations for B5G/6G, satellite/high-altitude-platform based communications for emergencies/in-flight data access, and wireless positioning/sensing, navigating and timing strategies, etc., which will shape the future of wireless connectivity. The conference also defined the agenda for WRC-2027, including discussions on the spectrum bands supporting future networks, e.g., the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) band. 

The timetable set in 3GPP as well as the consensus reached in WRC can be critical for the innovative research for practical implementations in the next-generation networks. Therefore, it would be timely and necessary to collect the latest research results in this new study cycle, as well as intelligent spectrum usage and system design framework up to THz frequencies towards 6G. These will surely provide useful guidelines/inspirations on future innovations compatible with the worldwide agreements on radio regulations and system design under different application scenarios.

This Special Issue (SI) will focus on the technical and innovative aspects corresponding to the new study cycle of 3GPP and ITU. The scope is mostly related to studies regarding the latest spectrum usage and system design principles. It is expected to motivate novel contributions for next generation networks, e.g., B5G/6G spectrum usage up to THz frequencies and non-terrestrial networks to support ubiquitous connectivity even in the air. In particular, we seek high-quality and original submissions on a variety of topics including, but not limited to:

    Technical analysis of the 3GPP and WRC-2023 outcome.
    New studies related to the WRC-2027 agenda.
    New studies related to freezing the first 3GPP 6G release in 2029/2030.
    Emerging spectrum management technologies for B5G/6G networks (e.g., spectrum sensing/sharing enabled by distributed AI or Internet of Everything).
    Novel system design principles coherent with the 3GPP/ITU outcome.
    Harmonized spectrum usage across multiple regions and services.
    Novel wireless system design under new spectrum allocations (e.g., sub-THz scale) for B5G/6G networks.
    Integration of the space/near-space/aerial heterogeneous networks.
    Novel communication technologies against fast-varying channels at mmWave/THz frequencies.
    Emerging positioning/sensing, navigating and timing methodologies for next-generation networks.
    Next-Generation AI/ML Techniques  for B5G/6G networks.
    Massive access and ubiquitous connectivity for B5G/6G networks.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the “Information for Authors” section of the Paper Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts to be considered for publication must be submitted by the deadline through the magazine’s IEEE Author Portal submission site. Select “July2025/Emerging Tech Regarding Spectrum Usage and System Design” from the drop-down menu of Topic titles.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 January 2025
Authors’ Revision Notification Date: 1 March 2025
Revised Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 April 2025
Final Decision Notification Date: 15 June 2025
Camera-ready Files Due: 1 July 2025
Guest Editorial/Column: 15 July 2025
Expected Publication Date: July 2025

Guest Editors

Tianqi Mao (Lead Guest Editor)
Beijing Institute of Technology, China

Lexi Xu
China Unicom & Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China 

Gunes Karabulut-Kurt
Polytechnique Montréal, Canada

Alain Mourad
InterDigital, UK

Yang Xiao
The University of Alabama, USA

Mohsen Guizani
Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, UAE

Special Issue on Generative AI for Secure Communications and Networking
Submission Date: 2025-02-15

The rapid evolution of wireless network technology has given rise to 6G networks, set to revolutionize communication and interaction with the digital world. With the promise of ultra-high data rates, extensive coverage, and near-instantaneous response times, 6G networks are expected to support a vast array of applications, from autonomous vehicles and smart cities to advanced virtual reality experiences and remote robotic surgeries. However, as these networks become more integrated into our daily lives and critical infrastructure, the need for secure communications and networking is paramount. In the context of 6G, security goes beyond merely protecting data from unauthorized access, it also involves ensuring the integrity, availability, and reliability of network services. As networks become more complex and dynamic, traditional security measures struggle to keep pace with a rapidly evolving threat landscape, further exacerbated by the emergence of advanced attack techniques like zero-day exploits and adaptive malware. Consequently, there is an urgent need for emerging technologies to further assess and enhance security in communications and networking. 

Recently, Generative AI (GAI) has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to significantly enhance secure communications and networking. GAI models leverage integrated machine learning algorithms to generate new data, models, and patterns that can enhance communication and networking security through real-time threat detection, anomaly detection in network traffic, vulnerability assessment, and adaptive security protocol generation. By creating synthetic yet realistic scenarios, GAI can simulate and anticipate potential attacks, enabling security professionals to develop and test countermeasures in a controlled environment. By continuously learning from the network's operational data and generating new insights, GAI can identify emerging trends and vulnerabilities, facilitating proactive defense strategies for cybersecurity. Still, security remains a critical issue for GAI in networking; it is susceptible to various attacks that can compromise its effectiveness and service quality. Therefore, while GAI can address network vulnerabilities, its own security must also be strengthened. Recent times have seen a growing focus on these issues, resulting in numerous research initiatives from both academia and industry.  

Again, despite the promising potential of GAI in communication and networking security, several challenges and research gaps must be addressed. Firstly, GAI can generate sophisticated attacks, putting traditional networking security measures under pressure. Secondly, its ability to create high-fidelity content, such as text, images, and videos, complicates authenticity verification. Attackers can exploit this capability to produce realistic misinformation and identities, enabling more insidious phishing and disinformation campaigns, and raising concerns about GAI's trustworthiness. 

Additionally, network users and security professionals must understand GAI operations in 6G communication environments to effectively assess security and respond to potential threats. Given the critical importance of communication and networking security in the 6G era and the significant role that GAI can play, this Special Issue (SI) is dedicated to exploring the theme of "Generative AI for Secure Communications and Networking." We invite researchers, academics, and industry professionals to contribute their latest findings, innovative approaches, and thought-provoking ideas to advance the field of communication and networking security through the application of GAI technologies. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 

    New algorithms and models of GAI for secure communications and networking.
    GAI for intelligent analysis and filtering of communication contents.
    GAI-based communication encryption technologies.
    GAI for designs of network security protocols.
    Innovations and applications of GAI in 6G environment.
    GAI-based strategies for network attacks and defenses.
    Transparency, interpretability, and robustness of GAI-empowered networks.
    GAI trust framework in 6G.
    GAI for cross-network domain security.
    GAI for secure routing intelligence.
    GAI for over-the-air/RAN security.
    Testbeds, proof of concepts and implementations of GAI. 

Submission Guidelines: 

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the “Information for Authors” section of the Paper Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts to be considered for publication must be submitted by the deadline through the magazine’s IEEE Author Portal submission site. Select ‘September 2025/Generative AI for Secure Communications and Networking’ from the drop-down menu of Special Issues. 

Important Dates: 

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 February, 2025 
Initial Decision Date: 15 April, 2025 
Revised Manuscript Due: 15 May, 2025 
Final Decision Date: 15 June, 2025 
Final Manuscript Due: 30 July, 2025 
Publication Date: September 2025 

Guest Editors 

Liehuang Zhu
Beijing Institute of Technology, China 

Dusit Niyato
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 

Rongxing Lu 
University of New Brunswick, Canada 

Xiaojiang Du 
Stevens Institute of Technology, USA 

Fatima Hussain 
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto, Canada 

Yao Sun 
University of Glasgow, U.K. 

Shen Yan 
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, China