Work towards specification of fourth generation (4G) or "beyond third generation" (B3G) is ongoing. One key feature of 4G and B3G systems is likely to be the availability of much higher data rates than those in third generation systems. Higher spectral efficiency and lower cost per transmitted bit are other key requirements. Additional important expected features are increased flexibility of mobile terminals and networks, multimedia services and high speed data connections. A future convergence with digital broadcasting systems is yet another expected feature. The use of multiple transmit and receive antennas for achieving radio links with increased reliability and efficiency will probably also be a feature of such future systems. Also, while a number of papers on space-time coding have been published, much less attention has been paid to multiple access schemes that would be able to efficiently share potentially high capacity of these systems among different users in an asynchronous channel.

The papers in this issue will focus on state-of-the-art research on 4G wireless systems in RAN (Radio Access Networks) up to layer 3, i.e. PHY (physical)/MAC (medium access control)/RRC (radio resource control) layers. We solicit papers covering a variety of topics including but not limited to the following topics:

• Systems and architecture
• Multiple access schemes
• Radio transmission technologies
• CDMA/TDMA/OFDMA
• Crosslayer optimization
• Mobility management
• Resource allocation issues
• Bandwidth on demand issue
• Variable rate modulation schemes
• Turbo codes/LDPC codes/iterative decoding schemes
• Multi-user detection
• Channel modeling/measurement
• Convergence of 3G/WLAN/WPAN/DxB
• Software defined radio
• Multiple antennas and MIMO techniques/Space-Time Codes
• Wireless multimedia, audio, and video
• Wireless application protocols

Only original and unpublished research papers will be considered. Authors should follow the IEEE J-SAC manuscript format described in the Information for Authors. There will be only one round of reviews and acceptance will be limited to papers needing only moderate revisions. Prospective authors should submit a pdf version of their complete manuscript to jsac@korea.ac.kr according to the following timetable:

Inkyu Lee, Dept. of Communications Eng, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, inkyu@korea.ac.kr
Carl-Erik W. Sundberg, SundComm, Chatham, New Jersey, USA, cews@ieee.org
Mamoru Sawahashi, NTT DoCoMo, Japan, sawahasi@mlab.yrp.nttdocomo.co.jp
Savo Glisic, Electrical Engineering Dept., University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland, savoIEEE@ee.oulu.fi
Steve McLaughlin, School of Eng. & Electronics, University of Edinburgh, UK, sml@ee.ed.ac.uk