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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Dear Colleagues,</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Apologies for cross-postings! Please consider to contribute to and/or forward to the appropriate groups the following opportunity to submit and publish original scientific results to:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">------------------------------------------------------------------------ INVITATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">============================================================================================</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><strong style="font-family:Calibri Light, sans-serif;font-size: 13pt">Journal of Network and Systems Management </strong><span style="font-size: 13pt"><br>
</span><strong style="font-family:Calibri Light, sans-serif;font-size: 13pt">Special Issue on Network management for beyond 5G systems</strong><span style="font-size: 13pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">============================================================================================</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Beyond 5G (B5G) wireless systems are expected to provide a significant increase in data rates, ultra-low latency, enhanced connectivity of a massive number of devices, and improvements in
the network energy efficiency. In order to successfully implement and deploy such networks, significant novel contributions and innovations are required in the area of wireless network management.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the last 5-10 years have provided a new set of algorithms and tools to solve challenging problems in multiple domains by learning complex relationships
directly from data. These kinds of algorithms are also very promising to empower a new generation of fully automated network management mechanisms. However, new challenges emerge, such as deciding when to use traditional management algorithms, AI-based models,
or even hybrid approaches; design AI models tailor-made for mobile management problems; decide where they have to be deployed (fog vs. edge); and how to manage their life cycle (from data harvesting to intelligent decision making). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">This special issue focuses on novel research in algorithms (especially AI-based) for network management in beyond 5G systems. More specifically, we encourage original paper submissions, which
have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere, from both academia and industry presenting novel research on the most recent advances, frameworks, models, and approaches for wireless networks and system management using AI. We are also interested
in articles revising the state-of-the-art of this topic, showing recent major advances and discoveries, significant gaps in the research, current standardisation status, and new future issues. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:</span></div>
<ul>
<li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Novel non-AI-based algorithms for network management in B5G systems with benchmarking against their AI-based counterparts using performance metrics such as solution optimality,
algorithm complexity, resource demands, energy consumption, etc.</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI-based algorithms for network slicing in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI-based algorithms for service function chaining and orchestration in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI-based algorithms for allocation and management of resources (e.g., spectrum, storage, computing, processing) in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI-based algorithms for network state prediction</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Architectures and frameworks for AI-based network and system management in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Strategies for designing, training, and deployment of AI-based algorithms for management in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI-based algorithms for wireless network management in resource-constrained environments</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Guidelines and performance evaluation of AI-based algorithms with objectives and loss functions that are specifically designed for management in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Energy-efficient techniques for data pre-processing, resource allocation, and model training and deployment of AI-based algorithms for management in B5G systems</span></li><li style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">AI application to Open and Virtual Radio Access Networks.</span></li></ul>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><strong style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Guest Editors</strong><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Dr. Steven Latré, </span><em style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">University of Antwerp - imec, Belgium</em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Dr. Miguel Camelo, </span><em style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">University of Antwerp - imec, Belgium</em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Dr. Andres Garcia-Saavedra,</span><em style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt"> NEC Laboratories Europe, Germany</em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Dr. Marco Gramaglia, </span><em style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain</em><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><strong style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Schedule</strong><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Open-submission schedule: in this special issue, we implement an “open” submission approach, where we do not have a submission time period. Interested authors can submit the paper any time
before a fixed deadline, and the review process will be started right after the paper submission, i.e., in a first-in first-served fashion. The detailed submission schedule is presented as follows:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Manuscript due: March 30, 2021</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Revision notification: 2-month after the submission</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Revised paper due: 2-month after the revision notification</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Final notification: 1-month after the revised paper notification</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Expected Publication of the Special Issue: third-quarter of 2021 (early accepted papers will be accessible online before the deadline)</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><strong style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Submission format and review guidelines</strong><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">The submitted manuscripts must be written in English and describe original research not published nor currently under review by other journals or conferences. Parallel submissions will not
be accepted. All submitted papers, if relevant to the theme and objectives of the special issue, will go through a vigorous peer-review process. Submissions should (i) conform strictly to the Instructions for Authors available on the Journal website and (ii)
be submitted through the Editorial Management system available at: </span><a style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt" href="https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.editorialmanager.com%2Fjons%2Fdefault.aspx&data=04%7C01%7CLynn.Ronge%40uantwerpen.be%7Ca09da6f0642f4ff2cb5108d8a58b91c7%7C792e08fb2d544a8eaf72202548136ef6%7C0%7C0%7C637441366168895250%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=vKhwKZlZGMtGVCRH01zSIIPwmyCjp82JCc8LZYgkqfI%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.editorialmanager.com/jons/default.aspx</a><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">We look forward to receiving your submissions.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size: 11pt">Guest Editors JNSM SI on Network management for beyond 5G systems</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt"><br>
</span></div>
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