Special issue on Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) for 6G Networks

Introduction:

A new wave of technological innovation and industrial advancement is propelling the seamless fusion of artificial intelligence, big data processing and mobile communication technologies. This momentum is fueling the evolution of fifth generation (5G) to sixth generation (6G) networks, both in terms of technological capabilities and business opportunities.

The forthcoming 6G era is poised to catalyze the transition from the Internet of Things (IoT) to the Internet of Everything (IoE), unlocking possibilities for applications such as smart cities, intelligent manufacturing, vehicular networks and remote healthcare. Nonetheless, the realization of these transformative applications requires mobile communication networks that not only offer superior communication capabilities but also boast high-precision sensing abilities. Traditional communication and sensing systems have been operated independently, resulting in suboptimal wireless spectrum efficiency, elevated hardware costs and protracted information processing delays. To that end, integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) technology can harmonize communication systems with sensing capabilities. Through modest adjustments to hardware, signaling strategies and communication standards, ISAC integrates sensing functionalities into communication networks swiftly and cost-effectively. This integration significantly enhances system spectral efficiency, hardware utilization and information processing speed.

Nevertheless, establishing a robust ISAC theory poses certain challenges. These include defining optimal performance boundaries and tradeoffs between sensing and communication tasks, developing ISAC signal processing techniques and waveform designs, innovating transceiver architecture, and fully understanding the synergistic potential between ISAC and emerging technologies like reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), backscatter communications, UAV communications, and non-terrestrial networks.

This special issue aims to present the latest advances in ISAC for 6G IoE. Theoretical, experimental studies, and also case studies are encouraged.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

• Fundamental performance limits and optimal tradeoffs for ISAC in 6G IoE
• ISAC network architecture/transport protocol/frame design for 6G IoE
• ISAC channel modelling for 6G IoE systems
• Networking schemes for sensing-assisted transceivers in ISAC systems
• Spectrum management and cognitive radio for ISAC in the 6G
• ISAC security and privacy issues in the 6G IoE
• Transmitter (e.g., pre-coding, waveform, modulation) design for ISAC
• Receiver (e.g., signal detection, sensing algorithms) design for ISAC
• Joint signal detection and parameter estimation for ISAC
• ISAC with mmWaves/Thz technology
• ISAC design for wireless vehicular networks
• Integrated sensing and backscatter communications for 6G passive IoE
• ISAC design assisted by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces
• ISAC design for UAV networks
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence for ISAC
• Edge computing/network intelligence for ISAC

Important dates:

• Submission deadline: November 15, 2024
• First notification: December 31, 2024
• Revised version deadline: February 15, 2025
• Final notification: March 31, 2025
• Publication date: September 2025

Submission instructions:

Please read the Guide for Authors before submitting. All articles should be submitted online via the editorial management system; please select article type ISAC for 6G.

Guest Editors:

• Xingwang Li (lead Guest Editor), Henan Polytechnic University, China. lixingwang@hpu.edu.cn
• Arumugam Nallanathan, Queen Mary University of London, U.K.a.nallanathan@qmul.ac.uk
• Jianhua Zhang, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. China jhzhang@bupt.edu.cn
• Gang Yang, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China. yanggang@uestc.edu.cn
• Chongwen Huang, Zhejiang University, China. chongwenhuang@zju.edu.cn
• Fan Liu, Southern University of Science and Technology, China. liuf6@sustech.edu.cn