Technical and Educational Activities (TEA) are a cornerstone of the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), dedicated to serving our members. Led by the Vice President (VP-TEA), the TEA Council oversees several important boards — including the Educational Services Board (ESB), Industry Communities Board (ICB), and Technical Committees Board (TCB) — as well as vital standing committees. In this President’s page, I am pleased to introduce Wei Zhang, our VP-TEA and Chair of the TC Reorganisation Ad Hoc Committee, and Shiwen Mao, Director of the TCB. They will share details on the comprehensive Technical Committee restructuring, which the Board of Governors approved in June 2025.

Wei Zhang is a University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia professor. He has been the Vice President of the IEEE Communications Society since 2022. His current research interests include 6G communications and networks. He has been an IEEE Fellow since 2015 and was an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer in 2016–2017. Within the IEEE ComSoc, he has taken many leadership positions, including Member-at-Large on the Board of Governors (2018–2020), Chair of Wireless Communications Technical Committee (2019–2020), Vice Director of Asia Pacific Board (2016–2021), Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (2016–2019). He also served as TPC Chair of APCC 2017, ICCC 2019, ICCC 2024, and WCNC 2025. He received the IEEE ComSoc Joseph LoCicero Award in 2024. He obtained the Ph.D. degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2005.

Shiwen Mao is a Professor and Earle C. Williams Eminent Scholar, and Director of the Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center at Auburn University. His research interests include wireless networks, machine learning, and multimedia communications. He is the editor-in-chief of IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking, the Technical Board Director of IEEE Communications Society, and Vice President of Technical Activities of IEEE Council on Radio Frequency Identification (CRFID). He received the Publication Excellence Award of Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in 2025, the IEEE ComSoc MMTC Outstanding Researcher Award in 2023, the SEC 2023 Faculty Achievement Award for Auburn, the IEEE ComSoc TC-CSR Distinguished Technical Achievement Award in 2019, the Auburn University Creative Research & Scholarship Award in 2018, and the NSF CAREER Award in 2010, and several service awards from IEEE. He is a co-recipient of several best journal paper awards, such as the 2021 IEEE Internet of Things Journal Best Paper Award, the 2021 IEEE Communications Society Outstanding Paper Award, the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society 2020 Jack Neubauer Memorial Award, and the 2004 IEEE Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Prize in the Field of Communications Systems, as well as 12 best conference paper/demo awards.

Aim

To secure IEEE ComSoc’s leadership in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, we have been undertaking a strategic restructuring of our Technical Committees (TC) over the past five years. This initiative aims to transform our technical units into more agile, collaborative, and prominent engines of innovation. Our goal is to build a framework that fosters deeper synergy between industry and academia, empowers local chapters, and accelerates breakthroughs in multi-disciplinary fields. Ultimately, this restructuring is designed to amplify the impact and visibility of ComSoc’s work, ensuring that our community remains at the forefront of global communications technology for years to come.

Timeline

The comprehensive restructuring of ComSoc’s Technical Committees represents a carefully orchestrated, multi-phase initiative designed to secure the Society’s long-term technical prominence. This strategic journey commenced with an initial Planning Phase (2020–2021), where the need for evolution was identified and foundational goals were set. This led to the pivotal Consultation Phase (2022–2024), formally launched under President Sherman Shen with the establishment of the Reorganization of ComSoc Technical Communities Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Vice President, Technical and Educational Activities (TEA), Wei Zhang. Over three years, the committee engaged in extensive, collaborative dialogues with existing TCs and ETIs to gather critical insights and build consensus. The subsequent Approval Phase (2024–2025) marked a period of significant milestones, beginning with the BoG’s endorsement of the new TC/TWG structure in December 2023. Under the continued leadership of President Robert Schober, the re-established Ad Hoc Committee meticulously revised the governing ComSoc Policies & Procedures (P&P) and Bylaws, securing sequential approvals from the TEA Council, GovCom, and finally the BoG by June 2025. With this governance foundation firmly in place, following a detailed explanation to the Technical Committee Board in July 2025, the initiative now enters the crucial Implementation Phase, targeting the full operational launch of the new structure by early 2026.

New TC/TWG Structure

The proposed structure is organized into two primary layers. The top layer comprises 12 Technical Committees (TCs), designed to maintain and lead their broad fields, broadly mapping to the current ICC/Globecom symposia scope. Supporting this is a dynamic layer of Technical Working Groups (TWGs), which replace the current Emerging Technology Initiatives (ETIs) and Special Interest Groups (SIGs). This two-tiered model ensures that the TCs continue their leading role in strategic technical areas of ComSoc, while the TWGs aggressively promote new technology developments in more focused topics.

Operationally, the 12 TCs will report to the Technical Committee Board, and the TWGs will be overseen by the Emerging Technology Committee (ETC). Each TC will retain its elected leadership (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary) and establish mandatory subcommittees for Nominations, Elections, and Awards. The TWGs will mirror the TC’s organizational structure.

Furthermore, each TC is encouraged to appoint dedicated coordinators to maintain vital connections across ComSoc. These appointed positions include:

• TC Industry Communities Coordinator
• TC Standardization Programs Development Coordinator
• TC Educational Services Coordinator
• TC WICE/YP/Student Services Coordinator
• TC Local Chapters Coordinator
• TC Newsletter Editor

TC/TWG Awards

The approved ComSoc Policies and Procedures have established a more robust framework for managing TC and TWG awards. Key provisions include:

Establishment of Awards: Creating any new TC/TWG award requires formal approval from the TC Board.

Award Categories and Eligibility: Each TC and TWG may establish up to two award categories: a Young Researcher Award and a Technical Recognition Award, which must fall within its defined technical scope. Paper awards are expressly prohibited. An individual may not receive more than one award for the same category from any TC or TWG.

Governance of Awards: A dedicated TC/TWG Award Subcommittee is responsible for defining the selection criteria and managing the entire award process. To ensure impartiality, currently elected TC/TWG officers and members of the active Award Subcommittee are ineligible to receive an award and are prohibited from making nominations.

Record Keeping: The TC Board Director maintains the official award webpage, which is a systematic and permanent record of all TC and TWG award recipients.

Tea Innovation Funding

To promote new technology development and facilitate research exchange, TCs and TWGs receive an annual budget based on a competitive application and evaluation process. This funding is dedicated to supporting these core technical activities.

Summary

This comprehensive, multi-year TC restructuring positions ComSoc for a future of sustained leadership and innovation. By establishing the agile two-layer TC/TWG framework, implementing a robust awards and governance system, and dedicating strategic funding, the Society has built a dynamic engine for progress. These changes empower the global ComSoc community to foster deeper collaboration, accelerate breakthroughs, and remain at the forefront of communications technology.