Complex Networks Analysis and Engineering in 5G and beyond towards 6G

Submission Deadline: 31 March 2020

IEEE Access invites manuscript submissions in the area of Advances in Complex Networks Analysis and Engineering in 5G and beyond towards 6G.

Modern telecommunications networks represent one of the largest scale construction and deployment efforts with renovations occurring nearly continuously over the course of decades. The resulting networks consist of numerous subsections, each following its own trajectory of development, commingled into a complex ecosystem. Typical attributes used to characterize networks (e.g., interference, coverage, throughput, robustness, cost) fail to fully capture a key feature of future wireless networks, namely the degree of organization. This is increasingly important when we consider the trajectory of the evolution of 5G wireless networks and beyond towards 6G, with respect to densification, heterogeneity and distributed and self-organizing decision-making.

This Special Section tries to shed light on whether such a self-organizing and highly dynamic world can be treated as a complex system and whether complex systems science can give insights on the emergent properties of these kinds of networks and their design and deployment. One of the most widely accepted definitions of complex system, is that of “a system in which large networks of components with no central control and simple rules of operation give rise to complex collective behavior, sophisticated information processing, and adaptation via learning or evolution” (M. Mitchell, “Complexity – A Guided Tour”, Oxford University Press, 2011). This view resonates with the trends we are seeing in wireless networks.

In this Special Section in IEEE Access, we invite submissions of high-quality, original technical and survey papers, which have not been published previously, on complex systems science approaches and techniques and their applications for communications networks.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Network science and statistical mechanics models for self-organizing communication networks
• Relation between information theory and complex systems science
• Measuring complexity and organization structure in cellular and IoT networks
• Cellular automata and agent-based modeling of 5G networks and beyond
• Application of complex systems science to industrial cyber-physical systems and machine-type communications for control, coordination or optimization
• Nonlinear-system-based analysis and design in beyond 5G communication networks
• Chaos-based communication systems for 5G and beyond
• Design and applications of complex cyber-physical systems based on 5G and beyond
• Emergence-driven network engineering communication and computation

We also highly recommend the submission of multimedia with each article as it significantly increases the visibility, downloads, and citations of articles.

Associate Editor:  M. Majid Butt, Nokia Bell Labs, France

Guest Editors:

1. 1. Celso Grebogi, University of Aberdeen, Scotland/UK
   2. Irene Macaluso, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
   3. Murilo S. Baptista, University of Aberdeen, Scotland/UK
   4. Nicola Marchetti, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
   5. Pedro H. Juliano Nardelli, LUT University, Finland
   6. Robert Hunjet, Defence Science and Technology Group, Australia
   7. Lt Col Ryan Thomas, US Air Force Academy, USA

Relevant IEEE Access Special Sections:

1. Cyber-Physical Systems
2. Intelligent and Cognitive Techniques for Internet of Things
3. Modelling, Analysis, and Design of 5G Ultra-Dense Networks

IEEE Access Editor-in-Chief:  Prof. Derek Abbott, University of Adelaide

Article submission: Contact Associate Editor and submit manuscript to:
http://ieee.atyponrex.com/journal/ieee-access

For inquiries regarding this Special Section, please contact: majid.butt@nokia-bell-labs.com.