The IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) has cultivated a remarkable spirit of collaboration among its volunteers, leading to significant advancements in serving our members through new journals, conferences, and enhanced membership services. Despite these achievements, we continue to face ongoing challenges stemming from the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating international political and commercial tensions. These challenges pose risks to ComSoc’s mission, as such tensions can impact the daily operations of a global professional society. Therefore, we must focus on our core objectives while navigating an increasingly complex environment.

To effectively navigate these contemporary challenges, it is essential to implement a forward-looking strategic plan executed by a cohesive team of volunteers and staff. Consequently, our Strategic Planning Committee is dedicated to exploring new technical frontiers and promoting significant service enhancements to members. In this President’s Page, I am pleased to introduce Prof. Nelson Fonseca, Chair of the ComSoc Strategic Planning Committee for 2024–2025 and ComSoc President-Elect, to share the current ComSoc Strategic Plan with us.

Nelson Fonseca served as Vice President Conferences (2022–2023), Vice-President Teachnical and Educational Activities (2018–2019), Vice President Publications (2016–2017), Vice President Member Relations da IEEE Communications Society (2012–2013), Director for Conference Development (2014–2015 and 2020–2021), Director for the Latin America Region (2008–2009), Director for On-Line Service (2003), and Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials. Nelson also served as Chair of the Communications Systems Integration and Modeling Technical Committee and Chair of the Multimedia Communications Technical Committee.

In 2024, the formation of the Strategic Planning Committee was guided by principles of engagement, participation, and belonging, reflecting our commitment to creating a more equitable and responsive society.

The ComSoc Strategic Plan serves as a roadmap for realizing our vision, fulfilling our mission, and achieving our long-term goals. These foundational statements are as follows:

Vision: To bring the world together in harmony through communications and networking technology research, application, education, and incubation of new ideas.

Mission: The IEEE Communications Society promotes technological innovation and fosters the creation and sharing of information among the global technical community. The Society provides services to members for their technical and professional advancement and forums for technical exchanges among professionals in academia, industry, and public institutions.

The strategic plan is central to ComSoc’s evolution. It underscores our role as the leading global society in communications, driving innovation and empowering professionals throughout their careers. Our member-focused approach emphasizes creating a strong sense of belonging by encouraging participation in the Society’s growth and introducing new, meaningful initiatives.

The ComSoc Strategic Plan is based on four main pillars: promoting engagement, participation, and belonging, re-engaging the industry and recruiting new members; expanding public relations and outreach; reshaping the technical balance; and expanding the portfolio.

Promoting Engagement, Participation, and Belonging

The Society has taken proactive steps to promote engagement and participation at various levels, including appointments to the Board of Governors, standing committees, conference technical and organizing committees, and editorial boards. Much of the focus has been on gender and regional aspects of engagement and participation, which is an essential first step. However, to truly achieve full engagement participation, we must also consider other dimensions, such as working sector, age, discipline, and economic and social status, to name a few. Moreover, ComSoc should promote a sense of belonging to all members.

Economic accessibility remains a mainly overlooked barrier. For many members in developing and underdeveloped regions, the cost of paid services limits their participation in ComSoc activities. Similarly, under-recognized professionals often face exclusion due to financial constraints. To foster a genuine sense of belonging, ComSoc must continue working to eliminate these barriers and promote equitable access to all members.

Re-Engage the Industry and Recruit New Members

An increased engagement with industry is essential for the health of ComSoc. As a professional society, we must offer the broader engineering community valuable services. This is crucial for society to effectively represent the field and extend its efforts beyond mere membership increases and fundraising efforts. The society lacks more forums for communication between industry and academia. We need to address this by diversifying the demographics of program committees and editorial boards. To revitalize the Society, we should increase participation from our industry members.

ComSoc must expand its services to include opportunities for membership both within and beyond conferences and publications. In addition to expanding services and increasing the overall value of membership, providing mentorship and support for professional development will help attract more young members to the Society. For these initiatives to be successful and sustainable, they require strong engagement from volunteers and efficient, timely execution by staff in organizing events, coordinating arrangements, and following up afterward.

Expand Public Relations and Outreach

For decades, ComSoc has played a pivotal role in advancing communications and networking technologies, contributing to the development of cellular networks, access technologies, multimedia communications, and the Internet. However, these accomplishments remain largely unknown outside our professional community.

To broaden its impact, ComSoc must increase public awareness of its contributions and promote its profession to diverse global audiences. We should also emphasize its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Expanding media engagement and forging strategic partnerships will enhance ComSoc’s visibility and solidify its position as a thought leader in emerging technologies.

Reshape the Technical Balance and Expand the Portfolio

To maintain its leadership in shaping the future, the ComSoc portfolio must continuously evolve and adapt. Traditional approaches to communication research often operate in silos, focusing on specific layers without considering the comprehensive landscape of end-to-end service delivery. Currently, the emphasis within the ComSoc portfolio is predominantly on the physical layer, particularly in wireless networks, which constitutes over half of our focus. However, the upper layers of networking are poised for transformative changes over the next decade, driven by widespread automation through AI-based network management, customized networking solutions, and immersive communication experiences. ComSoc is uniquely positioned to lead these changes.

We must also champion Open Science, which goes beyond open access to include the sharing of data and code. This transparency accelerates research, reduces errors, and fosters a more collaborative community. While Open Science has spurred progress in fields like machine learning, its adoption in communications remains limited. Promoting it across ComSoc’s conferences and publications will enhance the credibility and impact of our work.

The four main pillars of the ComSoc Strategic plan delineated above are detailed in various specific actions. You are invited to learn more about it. Please, visit the link:

https://www.comsoc.org/about/board-governors/governance.

The ComSoc Strategic Plan was derived by the Strategic Planning committee in consultation with ComSoc leadership volunteers, ComSoc staff, and selected members. The conception of the ComSoc Strategic Plan considered reliable data on membership and analyzed trends and technology trends.

We encourage all members to share their feedback and ideas for improving ComSoc’s strategic and operational plans. Together, we can shape a more inclusive, innovative, and impactful future for the communications community.