Advanced B5G/6G Communications
A Special Issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220) belonging to the section "Communications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 December 2026 | Viewed by 1389
Editors
Interests: wireless sensor network; information-centric networking; IoT and industrial IoT applications; LPWAN communications; IoT-aided robotic systems; unmanned vehicles; Internet of Drones
Interests: adaptive wireless communications; internet of things; cognitive radio access; medium access control; random access; multi-antenna systems; energy-efficiency; resource management in vehicular communica
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: machine learning and data analytics for network optimization; artificial intelligence for networking; 6G systems; integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The transition toward Beyond‑5G and 6G networks is unfolding in parallel with several global shifts that are reshaping expectations for wireless communication. The growing reliance on autonomous systems, the rapid spread of distributed sensing technologies and the need for dependable connectivity across heterogeneous environments are pushing current infrastructures to their limits. These pressures are particularly evident in applications that demand extremely low latency, high reliability and the ability to integrate communication and sensing within a single operational framework. At the same time, the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring, logistics and emergency response, together with the expansion of Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations, is broadening the spatial reach of communication systems and introducing new forms of network heterogeneity.
These developments create opportunities for more resilient and adaptive architectures, but they also raise questions that require coordinated research efforts. The coexistence of terrestrial, aerial and orbital segments calls for new approaches to channel characterization, resource allocation and network management. Emerging technologies such as reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, Terahertz links and AI‑driven control mechanisms offer promising tools to address these challenges, yet their integration into large‑scale systems remains an open problem. The scientific community is therefore confronted, on the one hand, with a landscape in which sensing, communication and computation must be treated as interdependent components rather than isolated functions; on the other hand, the integration of these highly mobile actors introduces security and safety risks throughout the communication infrastructure, calling for multi-modal sensor networks able to detect, track and identify malicious actors, as well as introduce spatial awareness to ensure a safe blending between cyber and physical worlds.
At the same time, emerging paradigms such as semantic communications are gaining attention for their potential to enhance efficiency and intelligence in future networks by prioritizing the transmission of meaningful information rather than raw data. In parallel, advances in quantum-enabled technologies—including quantum-secure communication and quantum-aided networking concepts—are beginning to influence the design of trustworthy communication infrastructures for next-generation wireless systems.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate recent advances in sensing‑integrated communication systems, aerial and satellite‑supported networking and intelligent architectures for secure and safe B5G and 6G technologies. Contributions are invited to explore theoretical models, algorithmic solutions, experimental studies and system‑level analyses. The scope includes research on extremely low‑latency communication, joint communication‑sensing strategies, UAV‑assisted networks, LEO satellite systems and the coordination of multi‑layer infrastructures. Works addressing intelligent surfaces, distributed learning and advanced signal processing for next‑generation networks, as well as aerial safety and security mechanisms, are also encouraged.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Integrated Sensing And Communication (ISAC) for B5G/6G
- Extremely low‑latency communication techniques and architectures
- UAV‑assisted communication and sensing systems
- Multi-modal sensor networks and approaches to detect, track and identify malicious mobile actors
- Spatial awareness of aerial and space network nodes
- Satellite communications for B5G/6G, including LEO constellations
- 3D networking integrating terrestrial, aerial and orbital segments
- Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for communication and sensing
- TeraHertz (THz) communication and high‑resolution sensing
- AI‑native network architectures, distributed intelligence and digital twins
- Semantic communications and meaning-aware networking for B5G/6G system
- Quantum-secure communication and quantum-aided networking techniques for future wireless infrastructures
- Resource management, beamforming and mobility support in multi‑layer networks
- Energy‑efficient communication and sensing strategies
- Security, privacy and trustworthiness in sensing‑enhanced 6G systems
Dr. Pietro Boccadoro
Dr. Nicola Cordeschi
Dr. Arcangela Rago
Guest Editors
Dr. Grieco Giovanni
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- integrated sensing and communication
- UAV‑enabled sensing networks
- Low Earth Orbit satellite systems
- extremely low‑latency wireless links
- reconfigurable intelligent surfaces
- terahertz communication and sensing
- AI‑driven multi‑layer networking
- multi-modal detection
- tracking and identification
- spatial awareness
- semantic communications and meaning-aware networking
- quantum-secure communications and quantum-aided networking
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