The IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking (TCCN) is committed to timely publishing of high-quality manuscripts that advance the state-of-the-art of cognitive communications and networking research. The focus of the Transactions will be on “cognitive” behaviors in all aspects of communications and network control, from the PHY functions (including hardware) through the applications (including architecture), and in all kinds of communication networks and systems regardless of type of traffic, transmission media, operating environment, or capabilities of communicating devices. IEEE TCCN will welcome papers dealing with the design, analysis, evaluation, experimentation and testing of cognitive communications and network systems. Inter-disciplinary approaches are encouraged. Papers that focus on experimental infrastructures or tools for cognitive communications and networking will also be considered, provided that they contain significant original contributions in the communications or networking areas.

Since the term “cognitive” may be interpreted in multiple ways, we define here a cognitive entity as one that is capable of selecting and carrying out actions depending on its own goals and its perception of the world and that may also be capable of learning from experience by interacting with the world. Thus, a cognitive entity means an intelligent entity which possesses the following basic components: perception, learning/reasoning and decision making. Papers that will be considered for publication in the IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking must BOTH explicitly include approaches related to the “intelligent entity” AND provide original contributions on communications or networking.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

    Machine learning and artificial intelligence for communications and networking
    Distributed learning, reasoning and optimization for communications and networking
    Architecture, protocols, cross-layer, and cognition cycle design for intelligent communications and networking
    Information/communications theory and network science for intelligent communications and networking
    Ontologies, languages, and knowledge representation for intelligent communications and networking
    Security and privacy issues in intelligent communications and networking
    Cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access
    Cognitive technologies supporting software-defined radios, systems and networks
    Emerging services and applications enabled by intelligent communications and networks

Special issues will form an integral part of IEEE TCCN. Guest editorial teams are welcome to propose special issues on new emerging areas in cognitive and intelligent communications and networking. Please contact the Editor-in-Chief if you are interested in submitting a proposal.

Special Issue on Agentic AI for Communications and Networking with Embodied Intelligence
Submission Date: 2026-01-01

The exponential growth of connected networking devices, projected to surpass 125 billion by 2030, has created unprecedented demands on modern networking systems. These networking systems are required to handle massive amounts of data traffic, support seamless interactions across disparate devices, and incorporate embodied intelligence for real-time decision making and adaptive control, while addressing the challenges of a decentralized and dynamic environment. To address these challenges, Agentic AI emerges as a transformative paradigm, deploying autonomous agents capable of perceiving their environment, learning from data, and making intelligent decisions independently or collaboratively. Unlike traditional AI techniques, which often struggle with scalability and adaptability, Agentic AI leverages advanced technologies such as Embodied AI, large language models (LLMs), deep reinforcement learning (DRL), and generative AI (GenAI) to enhance network performance, optimize resource allocation, and enable real-time decision-making.

Integrating Agentic AI into communications and networking with Embodied Intelligence, however, presents several critical challenges. These include developing innovative protocols to ensure low-latency and scalable interactions among agents, optimizing resource management across computation, communication, and storage domains, and implementing robust security mechanisms to protect agents from adversarial threats. Additionally, addressing infrastructure constraints such as interference, mobility, and resource availability requires novel cross-layer optimization strategies. Deployment and testing in real-world scenarios are equally vital, necessitating the design of scalable testbeds to validate Agentic AI-driven networking solutions. Given these challenges, this special issue focuses on exploring foundational solutions and operational paradigms to integrate Agentic AI into networking systems effectively. The scope includes but not limited to:

    Foundational Frameworks for Agentic AI in Communications and Networking with Embodied Intelligence
    Standardization of Agentic AI Architectures and Protocols for Communications and Networking with Embodied Intelligence
    Agentic AI for Enhancing the Performance of B5G and 6G Networks
    Dynamic Spectrum Management and Resource Allocation in Embodied Networks
    LLM and GenAI Agents for Semantic Networking and Adaptive Optimization 
    Security and Privacy Mechanisms for Agentic AI Communications and Networking with Embodied Intelligence
    Agentic AI for Embodied-enhanced Sustainable Networking
    Embodied Multi-Agentic AI Coordination Strategies for Communications and Networking
    Embodied Intelligence in Edge Computing and IoT Networking
    Embodied Intelligence for Internet of Agent Networking
    Agentic AI for Embodied-enhanced UAV Networking in Low-Altitude Economies
    Cross-Layer Optimization Frameworks for Agentic AI-enhanced Communications and Networking
    Testbeds and Practical Deployments for Agentic AI in B5G and 6G Networks with Embodied Intelligence

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors are invited to submit their manuscripts electronically, adhering to the IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking guidelines. Note that the page limit is the same as that of regular papers. Please submit your papers through the online system and be sure to select the special issue or special section name. Manuscripts should not be published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only full papers intended for review, not abstracts, to the ScholarOne portal. If requested, abstracts should be sent by e-mail directly to the Guest Editors.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission: 1 January 2026
First Review Round: 1 March 2026
Revision Papers Due: 1 April 2026
Acceptance Notification: 1 May 2026
Final Manuscript Due: 15 June 2026
Publication Date: 2026

Guest Editors

Ruichen Zhang
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Yonghui Li
University of Sydney, Australia

Ping Wang
York University, Canada

Merouane Debbah
Khalifa University, UAE

Sumei Sun
Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore