With the coming of digital era, profound changes are happening in communication field. Within these, non-terrestrial network (NTN) is considered as a leading-edge technology. NTN not only represents an innovation, but also signifies the main development trend of future global communication. As a layered heterogeneous network, NTN will integrate multiple communication platforms, including satellites, high altitude platform systems (HAPS), and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), these provide flexible and composable solutions for achieving ubiquitous global communication coverage.
The layered heterogeneous architecture of NTN is a typical characteristic. Unlike traditional ground networks, NTN's core ideology is to fully utilize aerial communication platforms, that naturally breaks through the constrain of geographical environment. Namely, satellites provide highly reliable long-distance communication services, HAPS offer more flexible selection for communication at stratospheric altitudes, and UAS support highly customized communication services at low altitudes in specific regions. These enable NTN to achieve global coverage. Accordingly, implementing on-demand coverage of NTN architecture has become the primary issue.
In NTN, multiple communication platforms work collaboratively, forming a layered and wide coverage global network. This novel architecture provides a new perspective for global communication development, that can simultaneously offer flexible and customizable communication services for various application scenarios. However, how to design and develop new radio access and network technologies suitable for ground terminals and aerial base stations to address large dynamic spatial mobility, optimize the use of air network sites to reduce transmission and routing delays, remains an open research question.
The research on NTN is crucial for promoting global communication to achieve ubiquitous and high-quality services. By focusing on the architectures, key technologies, and practical applications of NTN, we hope to explore possible methods and solutions for achieving global coverage. This, in turn, will propel innovation in communication technology across various fields, including agriculture, emergency response, intelligent transportation, healthcare, etc. Ultimately, the goal is to construct a more intelligent, reliable, and ubiquitous communication network.
This special issue will focus on exploring the architecture, technologies, and applications of NTN.
Topics include (but not limited to):
● NTN Network Architecture, Standards, Protocols, and Applications
● Seamless Coverage in Three-Dimensional Space
● Cross-Layer Resource Management in NTN
● NTN Integrated Perception and Positioning Optimization
● NTN network communication technology
● NTN Network Multi-Platform Collaborative Resource Management
● NTN Internet integrated sensing and communication
● Computing and cloud-edge-end intelligent collaboration technology over NTN
● Machine learning over NTN
● NTN Network Security Technology
● Novel RF technologies for the NTN, including wideband RF techniques for supporting multiple platforms, and novel architectures for super-massive multiple-beam or phased arrays.
Schedule
Submission Deadline: 15th March, 2025
Acceptance Notification (1st round): 20th May, 2025
Minor Revision Due: 25th June, 2025
Final Decision Due: 30th July, 2025
Final Manuscript Due: 25th August, 2025
Publication Date: 15th October, 2025
Guest editors
Yuan Gao, Academy of Military Science of the PLA, China
Gang Wu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
Zhangcheng Hao, Southeast University, China
Nan Zhao, Dalian University of Technology, China
Dusit Niyato, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Arumugam Nallanathan, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Submission guidelines
This feature topic “Non-Terrestrial Network: Architecture, Technologies and Applications” seeks for original, UNPUBLISHED research papers reporting substantive new work in various aspects of topics above. Papers MUST clearly indicate your contributions to the topic field and properly cite related work in this field.
Papers should be submitted in two separate .doc files (preferred) or .pdf files: 1) Main Document (including paper title, abstract, key words, and full text); 2) Title page (including paper title, author affiliation, acknowledgement and any other information related with the authors’ identification) through the Manuscript Central. Please register or login at http://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/chinacomm, then go to the author center and follow the instructions there. Remember to select “Non-Terrestrial Network: Architecture, Technologies and Applications---October Issue, 2025” as your manuscript type when submitting; otherwise, it might be considered as a regular paper.
Each submission must be accompanied by the following information:
● an abstract of no more than 150 words
● 3-8 keywords
● original photographs with high-resolution (300 dpi or greater); eps. ortif. format is preferred; sequentially numbered references.
● sequentially numbered references. The basic reference format is: author name, “article name”, issue name (italic), vol., no., page, month, year. for example: Y. M. Huang, “peradventure in wireless heterogeneous…”, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas, vol. 27, no. 5, pp 34-50, May, 2009.
● brief biographies of authors (50-75 words)
● contact information, including email and mailing addresses