Despite the huge potential of AI-enabled NGN technologies in response to the current global health crisis, many challenges still need to be addressed to fight against the pandemic and beyond. This special issue aims to explore recent advances and disseminate state-of-the-art research on AI-enabled networking technologies for combatting epidemic diseases and beyond through promising networking techniques, including new architectures, design, resource optimization and performance models.

The topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to:
• AI-empowered 5G/B5G architecture and framework for epidemic diseases
handling and beyond
• Deep learning (DL) based networked applications, techniques and testbeds for
COVID-19
• AI-enabled networking techniques to monitor, track casualties and prevention
of COVID-19 and alike
• AI-driven next-generation networking technologies for epidemic prevention
and control
• AI-centric Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) approach for COVID-19
• Next-generation networking technologies to support mobile big data fusion to
handle epidemic disease and people tracking
• AI-empowered 5G/B5G architecture, and system for COVID-19 and alike disease
diagnosis
• Explainable AI (XAI) and predictive network data analytics for COVID-19
• Network traffic prediction and control for COVID-19 in B5G
• Adversarial attacks, threats, and defenses for DL-enabled COVID-19 detection
and prevention
• Security and privacy for AI-enabled remote learning/working, remote social
events, and medical consultation during COVID-19 crisis
• AI-techniques for screening, tracking and diagnosis of COVID-19 using 5G/B5G


SUBMISSIONS Guidelines

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the Information for Authors section of the Paper Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts to be considered for publication must be submitted by the deadline through Manuscript Central. Select the “May 2021: AI-enabled Networking Technologies for Tackling Epidemic Diseases” topic from the drop-down menu of Topic/Series titles.

Important dates
• Manuscript Submission Deadline: October 31, 2020
• Initial Decision: December 31, 2020
• Revised Manuscript Due: January 31, 2021
• Final Decision: February 28, 2021
• Final Manuscript Due: March 31, 2021
• Publication Date: May 2021