This study investigates the synergy between ratesplitting multiple access (RSMA) and simultaneous transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surface (STAR-RIS) as a unified framework to realize ubiquitous, intelligent, and resilient connectivity in future sixth-generation networks, while enhancing both spectral and energy efficiency. Specifically, in the STAR-RIS-assisted multi-user RSMA network under consideration, we develop an intelligent optimization strategy that jointly designs the active beamforming at the transmitter, the allocated transmission rate for the common stream, and the passive beamforming vectors for both transmission and reflection regions of the STAR-RIS, while accounting for transceiver hardware impairments and imperfect channel state information (CSI). In addition, system robustness is ensured by incorporating a bounded channel estimation error model that rigorously reflects CSI imperfections and ensures resilience against worst-case estimation errors. To tackle the highly non-convex problem, we propose an intelligent optimization algorithm that decouples the original problem into two sub-problems, which are then solved iteratively. Firstly, the active beamforming vectors for both the common and private signals are obtained by reformulating the original non-convex problem into a tractable convex semi-definite programming (SDP) framework, leveraging successive convex approximation (SCA) and semi-definite relaxation (SDR) for enhanced computational efficiency. Secondly, the passive beamforming vectors for the transmission and reflection regions of the STAR-RIS are optimized through a convex SDP reformulation by exploiting SCA and SDR techniques. Additionally, when the resulting active or passive beamforming solutions are of higher rank, Gaussian randomization is employed to construct rank-one solutions. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed optimization strategy is demonstrated through numerical simulations, which reveal significant performance gains over benchmark schemes and confirm rapid convergence.

This work explores the integration of rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA), simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT), and beyond-diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) to enhance the spectral-efficiency, energy efficiency, coverage, and connectivity of future sixth-generation (6G) communication networks. Specifically, with a multiuser BD-RIS-empowered RSMA-SWIPT system, we jointly optimize the transmit precoding vectors, the common rate proportion of users, the power-splitting ratios, and scattering matrix of the BD-RIS, under the assumption of imperfect channel state information (CSI). Additionally, to better capture practical hardware behavior, we incorporate a nonlinear energy harvesting model and ensure that the resulting system satisfies all energy harvesting constraints. In the considered system, we design a robust optimization framework to maximize the system sum-rate, while explicitly accounting for the worst-case impact of CSI uncertainties. To tackle the inherent non-convexity of the problem, we introduce an alternating optimization framework that partitions the problem into several blocks, which are optimized in an iterative manner. More specifically, the transmit precoding vectors are optimized by reformulating the problem as a convex semidefinite programming problem through successive-convex approximation (SCA), whereas the inherently convex power-splitting problem is solved using the MOSEK-enabled CVX toolbox. Subsequently, to optimize the scattering matrix of the BD-RIS, we first employ SCA to reformulate the problem into a convex form, and then design a manifold optimization strategy based on the conjugate-gradient method. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme, revealing significant performance improvements over existing benchmarks and demonstrating rapid convergence within a reasonable number of iterations.

Internet of Vehicles (IoV) frameworks integrate smart vehicles, roads, network infrastructures, and users into one system, enhancing environmental awareness, increasing efficiency, and reducing accidents. Although IoV is widely adopted, it has resulted in an increase in global energy demand, necessitating more robust and reliable energy solutions. In order to meet this growing demand, both traditional and distributed energy generation technologies have been developed, particularly renewable energy sources (RES). In order to ensure seamless operation of smart vehicles and related infrastructure, integrating renewable energy into existing grid infrastructure is essential. This enables stable and efficient power supply to IoV systems, especially during time periods of high demand. As part of this shift, it is important to accurately forecast the energy generation load of individual prosumers—entities that both produce and consume energy—because of their intermittent and dynamic nature. Therefore, we propose Block-FeST, a blockchain-based Federated Learning (FL) framework designed to predict the energy generation patterns of RES prosumers while preserving their private and sensitive data. Within this Block-FeST framework, a Sparse Transformer model is used to forecast energy generation among prosumer clients. Additionally, blockchain technology is integrated into the Block-FeST framework to enable distributed aggregation and securely validate and record the local parameters shared by clients. The results indicate that Block-FeST is superior to the second-best baseline method, with improvements of 20.4% in the mean square error (MSE), 13.7% in mean absolute error (MAE) and 19.3% in root mean square error (RMSE) for a long sequence length of 128.

The industrial Internet of Things (IoT) allows real-time monitoring and operational efficiency by enabling automated processes in industrial environments. In this paper, we propose a centralized task assignment framework for industrial IoT scenarios, focusing on light cargo delivery to specific locations via Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The task assignment problem is formulated as a Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) with the objective of minimizing the maximum route distance among all UAVs. To solve CVRP, we employ a learning-based approach using an Attention Model (AM), which utilizes a deep learning framework with an encoder-decoder architecture to generate optimized UAV routes while satisfying the capacity constraints of UAVs. The AM is trained using policy gradient reinforcement learning to ensure that the solutions are both efficient and scalable. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the AM-based framework in delivering solutions that minimize the maximum tour length for deliveries.

The futuristic sixth-generation (6-G) networks will empower ultrareliable and low latency communications (URLLC), enabling a wide array of mission-critical applications such as mobile edge computing (MEC) systems, which are largely unsupported by fixed communication infrastructure. To remedy this issue, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has recently come to the limelight to facilitate MEC for internet of things (IoT) devices as they provide desirable line-of-sight (LoS) communications compared to fixed terrestrial networks, thanks to their added flexibility and 3-D positioning. In this article, we consider UAV-enabled relaying for MEC systems for uplink transmissions in 6-G networks, and we aim to optimize mission completion time subject to the constraints of resource allocation, including UAV transmit power, UAV CPU frequency, decoding error rate, blocklength, communication bandwidth, and task partitioning as well as 3-D UAV positioning. Moreover, to solve the nonconvex optimization problem, we propose three different algorithms, including successive convex approximations, altered genetic algorithm (AGA), and smart exhaustive search. Thereafter, based on time-complexity, execution time, and convergence analysis, we select AGA to solve the given optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can successfully minimize the mission completion time, perform power allocation at the UAV side to mitigate information leakage and eavesdropping as well as map a 3-D UAV positioning, yielding better results compared to the fixed benchmark submethods. Lastly, subject to 3-D UAV positioning, AGA can also effectively reduce the decoding error rate for supporting URLLC services.

Sixth-generation and mobile edge computing (MEC) systems are expected to empower a wide range of applications. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can play a vital role in improving network connectivity. Hence, our problem is to minimize the user equipment (UE) energy consumption during task offloading in a UAV assisted MEC system. To address the formulated NP-hard problem, we propose task scheduling and assignment algorithms for mapping UE tasks to fixed edge servers using UAV. Lastly, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms yield better results than other benchmark methods in terms of total UE energy consumption.

In this manuscript, we present an energy-efficient alternating optimization framework based on the multiantenna ambient backscatter communication (AmBSC)-assisted cooperative nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) for next-generation (NG) Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled communication networks. Specifically, the energy-efficiency maximization is achieved for the considered AmBSC-enabled multicluster cooperative IoT NOMA system by optimizing the active-beamforming vector and power-allocation coefficients (PACs) of IoT NOMA users at the transmitter, as well as passive-beamforming vector at the multiantenna-assisted backscatter node. Usually, increasing the number of IoT NOMA users in each cluster results in intercluster interference (ICI) (among different clusters) and intracluster interference (among IoT NOMA users). To combat the impact of ICI, we exploit a zero-forcing (ZF)-based active-beamforming, as well as an efficient clustering technique at the source node. Further, the effect of intracluster interference is mitigated by exploiting an efficient power-allocation policy that determines the PAC of IoT NOMA users under the Quality-of-Service (QoS), cooperation, SIC decoding, and power-budget constraints. Moreover, the considered nonconvex passive-beamforming problem is transformed into a standard semidefinite programming (SDP) problem by exploiting the successive-convex approximation (SCA), as well as the difference of convex (DC) programming, where Rank-1 solution of passive-beamforming is obtained based on the penalty-based method. Furthermore, the numerical analysis of simulation results demonstrates that the proposed energy-efficiency maximization algorithm exhibits an efficient performance by achieving convergence within only a few iterations.

In the upcoming sixth-generation (6G) networks, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) is considered as an essential service that will empower real-time wireless systems, smart grids, and industrial applications. In this context, URLLC traffic relies on short blocklength packets to reduce the latency, which poses a daunting challenge for network operators and system designers since classical communication systems are designed based on the classical Shannon’s capacity formula. Therefore, to tackle this challenge, this article considers an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acting as a decode-and-forward relay to communicate short URLLC control packets between a controller and multiple-mobile robots in a cell to enable a use-case of Agriculture 4.0. Moreover, this article employs perturbation theory and studies the quasi-optimization of the UAV’s location, height, beamwidth, and resource allocation, including time-varying power and blocklength for the two phases of transmission from the controller to UAV and from UAV to robots. In this regard, we propose an iterative optimization method to find the optimal UAV’s height and location, the antenna beamwidth, and the variable power and blocklength allocated to each robot inside the circular cell to minimize the average overall decoding error. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm outperforms other benchmark algorithms based on fixed parameters and performs nearly as well as the smart exhaustive search. Lastly, our results emphasize the need to jointly optimize all of the abovementioned UAV’s system parameters and resource allocation for the two phases of transmission to achieve URLLC for multiple-mobile robots.

Efficient resource allocation can maximize power efficiency, which is an important performance metric in future fifth-generation (5G) communications. The minimization of sum uplink power in order to enable green communications while concurrently fulfilling the strict demands of ultrareliability for short packets is an essential and central challenge that needs to be addressed in the design of 5G and subsequent wireless communication systems. To address this challenge, this article analyzes the joint optimization of various unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems parameters, including the UAV’s position, height, beamwidth, and the resource allocation for uplink communications between ground Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and a UAV employing short ultrareliable and low-latency (URLLC) data packets. Toward achieving the aforesaid task, we proposed a perturbation-based iterative optimization to minimize the sum uplink power in order to determine the optimal position for the UAV, its height, beamwidth of its antenna, and the blocklength allocated for each IoT device. It is shown that the proposed algorithm has lower time complexity, yields better performance than other benchmark algorithms, and achieves similar performance to exhaustive search. Moreover, the results also demonstrate that Shannon’s formula is not an optimum choice for modeling sum power for short packets as it can significantly underestimate the sum power, where our calculations show that there is an average difference of 47.51% for the given parameters between our proposed approach and Shannon’s formula. Finally, our results confirm that the proposed algorithm allows ultrahigh reliability for all the users and converges rapidly.

Upcoming fifth-generation (5G) networks need to support novel ultrareliable and low-latency (URLLC) traffic that utilizes short packets. This requires a paradigm shift as traditional communication systems are designed to transmit only long data packets based on Shannon's capacity formula, which poses a challenge for system designers. To address this challenge, this article relies on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) to deliver short URLLC instruction packets between ground Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. In this context, we perform passive beamforming of RIS antenna elements as well as nonlinear and nonconvex optimization to minimize the total decoding error rate and find the UAV's optimal position and blocklength. In this article, a novel, polytope-based method from the class of direct search methods (DSMs) named Nelder-Mead simplex (NMS) is used to solve the optimization problem based on its computational efficiency; in terms of lesser number of required iterations to evaluate objective function. The proposed approach yields better convergence performance than the traditional gradient-descent optimization algorithm and a lower computation time and equivalent performance for the blocklength variable as the exhaustive search. Moreover, the proposed approach allows ultrahigh reliability, which can be attained by increasing the number of antenna elements in RIS as well as increasing the allocated blocklengths. Simulations demonstrate the RIS's performance gain and conclusively show that the UAV's position is crucial for achieving ultrahigh reliability in short packet transmission.