Cognitive communications [Editorial]

Future radio communication networks will be heterogeneous in nature and will need to dynamically adapt to changing needs. This will require networks, sub-systems and devices to be increasingly intelligent, i.e. cognitive. This Special Issue deals with the subject of cognitive communications – the application of cognition to wireless systems in the most general sense, a field which incorporates techniques from several disciplines, including distributed artificial intelligence, electromagnetics, regulatory policy and economics, in addition to wireless communications. Thus, cognitive communications encompasses more than just the standard areas of cognitive radio and cognitive networks, including more speculative areas such as cognitive environments (incorporating frequency selective surfaces), and cognitive acoustics.