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Xianbin Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Xianbin Wang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

HEART: Achieving Timely Multi-Model Training for Vehicle-Edge-Cloud-Integrated Hierarchical Federated Learning

The rapid growth of AI-enabled Internet of Vehicles (IoV) calls for efficient Machine Learning (ML) solutions that can handle high vehicular mobility and decentralized data. This has motivated the emergence of Hierarchical Federated Learning over vehicle-edge-cloud architectures (VEC-HFL). Nevertheless, one aspect which is underexplored in the literature on VEC-HFL is that vehicles often need to execute multiple ML tasks simultaneously, where this multi-model training environment introduces crucial challenges. First, improper aggregation rules can lead to model obsolescence and prolonged training times. Second, vehicular mobility may result in inefficient data utilization by preventing the vehicles from returning their models to the network edge. Third, achieving a balanced resource allocation across diverse tasks becomes of paramount importance as it majorly affects the effectiveness of collaborative training. We take one of the first steps towards addressing these challenges via proposing a framework for multi-model training in dynamic VEC-HFL with the goal of minimizing global training latency while ensuring balanced training across various tasks, a problem that turns out to be NP-hard. To facilitate timely model training, we introduce a hybrid synchronous-asynchronous aggregation rule. Building on this, we present a novel method called Hybrid Evolutionary And gReedy allocaTion (HEART). The framework operates in two stages: first, it achieves balanced task scheduling through a hybrid heuristic approach that combines improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithms (GA); second, it employs a low-complexity greedy algorithm to determine the training priority of assigned tasks on vehicles. Experiments on real-world datasets demonstrate the superiority of HEART over existing methods.

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Spatiotemporal Trust Evaluation for Collaborator Selection via Customized GNN-Mamba

The successful completion of collaborative tasks relies on the effective selection of trustworthy collaborators. To accurately evaluate the trustworthiness of potential collaborators, it is necessary to combine insights from their past collaborations with assessments of their resource capabilities under specific task contexts. However, the coexistence of diverse trust perspectives, along with complex spatiotemporal dependencies among devices, makes accurate trust evaluation particularly challenging. To address these challenges, we propose a customized Graph Neural Network (GNN)-Mamba (GM) model for trust evaluation and collaborator selection. In this model, the GNN model performs spatial trust fusion by leveraging inter-device spatial dependencies extracted from historical collaborations, while the Mamba-based temporal model captures both short-term fluctuations and long-term evolution of device trust. In addition, task-specific resource trust is incorporated to reflect the practical capabilities of devices under varying task conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed GM model outperforms baseline approaches in terms of the accuracy and stability of trust evaluation.

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Learning-Enabled Elastic Network Topology for Distributed ISAC Service Provisioning

Conventional mobile networks, including both localized cell-centric and cooperative cell-free networks (CCN/CFN), are built upon rigid network topologies. However, neither architecture is adequate to flexibly support distributed integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) services, due to the increasing difficulty of aligning spatiotemporally distributed heterogeneous service demands with available radio resources. In this paper, we propose an elastic network topology (ENT) for distributed ISAC service provisioning, where multiple co-existing localized CCNs can be dynamically aggregated into CFNs with expanded boundaries for federated network operation. This topology elastically orchestrates localized CCN and federated CFN boundaries to balance signaling overhead and distributed resource utilization, thereby enabling efficient ISAC service provisioning. A two-phase operation protocol is then developed. In Phase I, each CCN autonomously classifies ISAC services as either local or federated and partitions its resources into dedicated and shared segments. In Phase II, each CCN employs its dedicated resources for local ISAC services, while the aggregated CFN consolidates shared resources from its constituent CCNs to cooperatively deliver federated services. Furthermore, we design a utility-to-signaling ratio (USR) to quantify the tradeoff between sensing/communication utility and signaling overhead. Consequently, a USR maximization problem is formulated by jointly optimizing the network topology (i.e., service classification and CCN aggregation) and the allocation of dedicated and shared resources. However, this problem is challenging due to its distributed optimization nature and the absence of complete channel state information. To address this problem efficiently, we propose a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) framework with centralized training and decentralized execution.

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Forecasting-Driven Stable Successor Matching for UAV-Assisted Continuous Edge Services

Continuous and reliable service support is crucial for emerging latency-sensitive and computation-intensive applications in UAV-assisted edge networks (UENs) due to operational dynamics and environmental uncertainty. Although conventional designs can improve coverage and computing efficiency, they often rely on instantaneous resource optimization or reactive handover, rendering ongoing services vulnerable to non-negligible interruptions when the serving UAV degrades due to mobility, energy depletion, or channel dynamics. To avoid such post-failure recovery, a promising approach is to prepare a successor UAV in advance, i.e., a standby UAV that reserves minimal resources and synchronizes service context for possible takeover. Thus, we consider a dynamic UEN architecture where each mobile user carries an ongoing computing mission requiring persistent service support, while UAVs provide wireless access and computing services under time-varying network dynamics and stringent onboard energy constraints. To facilitate proactive and continuous service provisioning, we propose a forecasting-driven proactive reservation-based continuous service scheduling framework, termed Fresco. In Fresco, an LSTM-based module is first used to predict short-term disruption risks of ongoing missions from historical network observations. Guided by these predictions, an online risk-aware successor matching scheme selects suitable standby UAVs for high-risk missions under delay, resource, and energy constraints, while incorporating minimal communication/computation reservation and lightweight service-context synchronization for efficient takeover preparation. Experiments show that Fresco significantly reduces service interruptions and improves mission continuity over reactive and non-predictive baselines, with only modest reservation overhead.

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Rethinking Wireless Communications through Formal Mathematical AI Reasoning

Mathematical analysis has long underpinned wireless communication theory, yet the growing complexity of next-generation systems demands increasingly sophisticated reasoning from domain experts. Recent advances in AI mathematical reasoning, from formal theorem proving to large language model (LLM)-based derivation, offer a promising but largely unexplored path forward. Here we argue that wireless communications is a uniquely structured domain for formal AI reasoning, and propose a three-layer framework of verification, derivation, and discovery to rethink how wireless mathematical knowledge is established.

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EQE-QAOA: An Equivalence-Preserving Qubit Efficient Framework for Combinatorial Optimization

The limited number of qubits is a major bottleneck in Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) for large-scale combinatorial optimization in the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) era. To make progress, existing techniques rely on qubit reduction at the cost of information loss, hence leading to degraded computational performance. As a remedy, we propose the Equivalence-preserving Qubit Efficient QAOA (EQE-QAOA), which significantly reduces the required number of qubits without degrading the performance of QAOA. By exploiting intrinsic symmetries and conserved quantities, we first demonstrate that the QAOA dynamics are strictly confined to an invariant subspace of the Hilbert space. We subsequently prove that the evolution within this subspace is exactly equivalent to that of the full-scale system, achieving the same optimal solution as the original QAOA. Moreover, to reduce the number of qubits, we propose an isometric mapping that re-encodes the subspace into a space relying on fewer qubits. Furthermore, we derive the applicability conditions of EQE-QAOA and show that it is broadly applicable to large-scale combinatorial optimization problems, excluding only unconstrained problems with completely independent variables. Numerical simulations based on Max-Cut instances validate that EQE-QAOA significantly reduces qubit requirements and computational resources, while preserving exact optimization performance.

cs.ET↗

Cross-Layer Traffic Allocation and Contention Window Optimization for Wi-Fi 7 MLO: When DRL Meets LSTM

To support future diverse applications, multi-link operation (MLO) has been introduced in the Wi-Fi 7 standard (IEEE 802.11be) to enable concurrent communication over multiple frequency bands. This new capability relies on a two-tier medium access control (MAC) architecture, where the upper MAC (U-MAC) allocates traffic across links and the lower MAC (L-MAC) performs independent channel access. However, MLO optimization is challenging due to the inherent coupling between the U-MAC and L-MAC, as well as the dynamic and complex nature of wireless networks. To address these challenges, we propose a cross-layer framework that jointly optimizes traffic allocation at the U-MAC layer and initial contention window (ICW) sizes at the L-MAC layer to maximize network throughput. Specifically, we extend the single-link Bianchi Markov model to develop an analytical framework that captures the relationship among network throughput, traffic allocation, and ICW sizes. Based on this framework, we formulate a nonconvex, nonlinear cross-layer optimization problem. To solve it efficiently, we design a long short-term memory-based soft actor-critic (LSTM-SAC) algorithm that leverages LSTM to handle the partial observability and non-Markovian dynamics inherent in Wi-Fi networks. Finally, using a well-developed event-based Wi-Fi simulator, we demonstrate that the proposed LSTM-SAC substantially outperforms existing benchmark solutions across a wide range of network settings.

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Adaptive UAV-Assisted Hierarchical Federated Learning: Optimizing Energy, Latency, and Resilience for Dynamic Smart IoT

Hierarchical Federated Learning (HFL) extends conventional Federated Learning (FL) by introducing intermediate aggregation layers, enabling distributed learning in geographically dispersed environments, particularly relevant for smart IoT systems, such as remote monitoring and battlefield operations, where cellular connectivity is limited. In these scenarios, UAVs serve as mobile aggregators, dynamically connecting terrestrial IoT devices. This paper investigates an HFL architecture with energy-constrained, dynamically deployed UAVs prone to communication disruptions. We propose a novel approach to minimize global training costs by formulating a joint optimization problem that integrates learning configuration, bandwidth allocation, and device-to-UAV association, ensuring timely global aggregation before UAV disconnections and redeployments. The problem accounts for dynamic IoT devices and intermittent UAV connectivity and is NP-hard. To tackle this, we decompose it into three subproblems: \textit{(i)} optimizing learning configuration and bandwidth allocation via an augmented Lagrangian to reduce training costs; \textit{(ii)} introducing a device fitness score based on data heterogeneity (via Kullback-Leibler divergence), device-to-UAV proximity, and computational resources, using a TD3-based algorithm for adaptive device-to-UAV assignment; \textit{(iii)} developing a low-complexity two-stage greedy strategy for UAV redeployment and global aggregator selection, ensuring efficient aggregation despite UAV disconnections. Experiments on diverse real-world datasets validate the approach, demonstrating cost reduction and robust performance under communication disruptions.

cs.LG↗

Agentic AI for SAGIN Resource Management_Semantic Awareness, Orchestration, and Optimization

Space-air-ground integrated networks (SAGIN) promise ubiquitous 6G connectivity but face significant resource management challenges due to heterogeneous infrastructure, dynamic topologies, and stringent quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Conventional model-driven approaches struggle with scalability and adaptability in such complex environments. This paper presents an agentic artificial intelligence (AI) framework for autonomous SAGIN resource management by embedding large language model (LLM)-based agents into a Monitor-Analyze-Plan- Execute-Knowledge (MAPE-K) control plane. The framework incorporates three specialized agents, namely semantic resource perceivers, intent-driven orchestrators, and adaptive learners, that collaborate through natural language reasoning to bridge the gap between operator intents and network execution. A key innovation is the hierarchical agent-reinforcement learning (RL) collaboration mechanism, wherein LLM-based orchestrators dynamically shape reward functions for RL agents based on semantic network conditions. Validation through UAV-assisted AIGC service orchestration in energy-constrained scenarios demonstrates that LLM-driven reward shaping achieves 14% energy reduction and the lowest average service latency among all compared methods. This agentic paradigm offers a scalable pathway toward adaptive, AI-native 6G networks, capable of autonomously interpreting intents and adapting to dynamic environments.

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On Dual-Fed Pinching Antenna Systems with In-Waveguide Attenuation

Pinching antenna systems (PAS) have recently emerged as a promising architecture for flexible and reconfigurable wireless communications. However, their performance is fundamentally constrained by in-waveguide attenuation, which is non-negligible in practical dielectric waveguides and can severely degrade the achievable data rate, particularly for long waveguides. To overcome this limitation, we propose a dual-fed PAS (DF-PAS), in which each waveguide is equipped with two feed points located at the two ends, enabling dynamic feed-point selection based on user locations. This design effectively shortens the in-waveguide propagation distance and mitigates attenuation-induced power loss without modifying the waveguide structure or the PA actuation mechanism. We investigate the DF-PAS in both single- and multi-waveguide scenarios. For the single-waveguide case, we derive closed-form high-SNR approximations of the ergodic rate and obtain closed-form solutions for the optimal PA position and feed-point selection under time-division multiple access (TDMA). We then extend DF-PAS to a multi-waveguide scenario, where we first derive closed-form high-SNR approximations of the ergodic rate and then formulate a joint optimization problem over feed-point selection, PA placement, and beamforming under general orthogonal multiple access (OMA). To solve this problem efficiently, we develop a two-phase optimization framework that integrates greedy feed-point switching, gradient-based PA placement, and WMMSE-based beamforming. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed DF-PAS consistently outperforms conventional single-fed PAS (SF-PAS) across various network configurations, validating its effectiveness as a practical and scalable solution for mitigating in-waveguide attenuation in PAS-enabled wireless networks.

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Closed-loop Uplink Radio Resource Management in CF-O-RAN Empowered 5G Aerial Corridor

In this paper, we investigate the uplink (UL) radio resource management for 5G aerial corridors with an open-radio access network (O-RAN)-enabled cell-free (CF) massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) system. Our objective is to maximize the minimum spectral efficiency (SE) by jointly optimizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-open radio unit (O-RU) association and UL transmit power under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints. Owing to its NP-hard nature, the formulated problem is decomposed into two tractable sub-problems solved via alternating optimization (AO) using two computationally efficient algorithms. We then propose (i) a QoS-driven and multi-connectivity-enabled association algorithm incorporating UAV-centric and O-RU-centric criteria with targeted refinement for weak UAVs, and (ii) a bisection-guided fixed-point power control algorithm achieving global optimality with significantly reduced complexity, hosted as xApp at the near-real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) of O-RAN. Solving the resource-allocation problem requires global channel state information (CSI), which incurs substantial measurement and signaling overhead. To mitigate this, we leverage a channel knowledge map (CKM) within the O-RAN non-RT RIC to enable efficient environment-aware CSI inference. Simulation results show that the proposed framework achieves up to 440% improvement in minimum SE, 100% QoS satisfaction and fairness, while reducing runtime by up to 99.7% compared to an interior point solver-based power allocation solution, thereby enabling O-RAN compliant real-time deployment.

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Composite and Staged Trust Evaluation for Multi-Hop Collaborator Selection

Multi-hop collaboration offers new perspectives for enhancing task execution efficiency by increasing available distributed collaborators for resource sharing. Consequently, selecting trustworthy collaborators becomes critical for realizing effective multi-hop collaboration. However, evaluating device trust requires the consideration of multiple factors, including relatively stable factors, such as historical interaction data, and dynamic factors, such as varying resources and network conditions. This differentiation makes it challenging to achieve the accurate evaluation of composite trust factors using one identical evaluation approach. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a composite and staged trust evaluation (CSTE) mechanism, where stable and dynamic factors are separately evaluated at different stages and then integrated for a final trust decision. First, a device interaction graph is constructed from stable historical interaction data to represent direct trust relationships between devices. A graph neural network framework is then used to propagate and aggregate these trust relationships to produce the historical trustworthiness of devices. In addition, a task-specific trust evaluation method is developed to assess the dynamic resources of devices based on task requirements, which generates the task-specific resource trustworthiness of devices. After these evaluations, CSTE integrates their results to identify devices within the network topology that satisfy the minimum trust thresholds of tasks. These identified devices then establish a trusted topology. Finally, within this trusted topology, an A* search algorithm is employed to construct a multi-hop collaboration path that satisfies the task requirements. Experimental results demonstrate that CSTE outperforms the comparison algorithms in identifying paths with the highest average trust values.

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Beyond ISAC: Toward Integrated Heterogeneous Service Provisioning via Elastic Multi-Dimensional Multiple Access

Due to the growing complexity of vertical applications, current integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) in wireless networks remains insufficient for supporting all required beyond communication services. To this end, future networks are evolving toward an integrated heterogeneous service provisioning (IHSP) platform, which seeks to integrate a broad range of heterogeneous services beyond the dual-function scope of ISAC. Nevertheless, this trend intensifies conflicts among concurrent heterogeneous service requirements under constrained resource sharing. In this paper, we overcome this challenge by the joint use of two novel elastic design strategies: compromised service value assessment and flexible multi-dimensional resource multiplexing. Consequently, we propose a value-prioritized elastic multi-dimensional multiple access (MDMA) mechanism for IHSP systems. First, we modify the Value-of-Service (VoS) metric by incorporating elastic parameters to characterize user-specific tolerance and compromise in response to various performance degradations under constrained resources. This VoS metric serves as the foundation for prioritizing services and enabling effective fairness service scheduling among concurrent competing demands. Next, we adapt the MDMA to elastically multiplex services using appropriate multiple access schemes across different resource domains. This protocol leverages user-specific interference tolerances and cancellation capabilities across different domains to reduce resource-demanding conflicts and co-channel interference within the same domain. Then, we maximize the system's VoS by jointly optimizing MDMA and power allocation. Since this problem is non-convex, we develop a monotonic optimization-assisted dynamic programming algorithm for the optimal solution and a VoS-prioritized successive convex approximation algorithm for efficient suboptimal computation.

cs.IT↗

Pinching Antennas in Blockage-Aware Environments: Modeling, Design, and Optimization

Pinching-antenna (PA) systems have recently emerged as a promising member of the flexible-antenna family due to their ability to dynamically establish line-of-sight (LoS) links. While most existing studies assume ideal environments without obstacles, practical indoor deployments are often obstacle-rich, where LoS blockage significantly degrades performance. This paper investigates pinching-antenna systems in blockage-aware environments by developing a deterministic model for cylinder-shaped obstacles that precisely characterizes LoS conditions without relying on stochastic approximations. Based on this model, a special case is first studied where each PA serves a single user and can only be deployed at discrete positions along the waveguide. In this case, the waveguide-user assignment is obtained via the Hungarian algorithm, and PA positions are refined using a surrogate-assisted block-coordinate search. Then, a general case is considered where each PA serves all users and can be continuously placed along the waveguide. In this case, beamforming and PA positions are jointly optimized by a weighted minimum mean square error integrated deep deterministic policy gradient (WMMSE-DDPG) approach to address non-smooth LoS transitions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms significantly improve system throughput and LoS connectivity compared with benchmark methods. Moreover, the results reveal that pinching-antenna systems can effectively leverage obstacles to suppress co-channel interference, converting potential blockages into performance gains.

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Trust Semantics Distillation for Collaborator Selection via Memory-Augmented Agentic AI

Offloading computational tasks from resource-constrained devices to resource-abundant peers constitutes a critical paradigm for collaborative computing. Within this context, accurate trust evaluation of potential collaborating devices is essential for the effective execution of complex computing tasks. This trust evaluation process involves collecting diverse trust-related information from every potential collaborator and performing trust inference based on the collected data. However, when each resource-constrained device independently assesses all potential collaborators, frequent data exchange and complex reasoning can incur significant overhead and further degrade the timeliness of trust evaluation. To overcome these challenges, we propose a task-specific trust semantics distillation (TSD) model based on a large AI model (LAM)-enabled teacher-student agent architecture. Specifically, the teacher agent is deployed on a server with powerful computational capabilities and an augmented memory module to perform multidimensional trust-related data collection, task-specific trust semantics extraction, and task-collaborator matching analysis. Upon receiving task-specific evaluation requests from device-side student agents, the teacher agent transfers the trust semantics of potential collaborators to the student agents, enabling rapid and accurate collaborator selection. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed TSD model can reduce collaborator evaluation time, decrease device resource consumption, and improve the accuracy of collaborator selection.

cs.AI↗

Semantic Chain-of-Trust: Autonomous Trust Orchestration for Collaborator Selection via Hypergraph-Aided Agentic AI

The effective completion of tasks in collaborative systems hinges on task-specific trust evaluations of potential devices for distributed collaboration. Due to independent operation of devices involved, dynamic evolution of their mutual relationships, and complex situation-related impact on trust evaluation, effectively assessing devices' trust for collaborator selection is challenging. To overcome this challenge, we propose a semantic chain-of-trust model implemented with agentic AI and hypergraphs for supporting effective collaborator selection. We first introduce a concept of semantic trust, specifically designed to assess collaborators along multiple semantic dimensions for a more accurate representation of their trustworthiness. To facilitate intelligent evaluation, an agentic AI system is deployed on each device, empowering it to autonomously perform necessary operations, including device state detection, trust-related data collection, semantic extraction, task-specific resource evaluation, to derive a semantic trust representation for each collaborator. In addition, each device leverages a hypergraph to dynamically manage potential collaborators according to different levels of semantic trust, enabling fast one-hop collaborator selection. Furthermore, adjacent trusted devices autonomously form a chain through the hypergraph structure, supporting multi-hop collaborator selection. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed semantic chain-of-trust achieves 100\% accuracy in trust evaluation based on historical collaborations, enabling intelligent, resource-efficient, and precise collaborator selection.

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Task-Specific Trust Evaluation for Multi-Hop Collaborator Selection via GNN-Aided Distributed Agentic AI

The success of collaborative task completion among networked devices hinges on the effective selection of trustworthy collaborators. However, accurate task-specific trust evaluation of multi-hop collaborators can be extremely complex. The reason is that their trust evaluation is determined by a combination of diverse trust-related perspectives with different characteristics, including historical collaboration reliability, volatile and sensitive conditions of available resources for collaboration, as well as continuously evolving network topologies. To address this challenge, this paper presents a graph neural network (GNN)-aided distributed agentic AI (GADAI) framework, in which different aspects of devices' task-specific trustworthiness are separately evaluated and jointly integrated to facilitate multi-hop collaborator selection. GADAI first utilizes a GNN-assisted model to infer device trust from historical collaboration data. Specifically, it employs GNN to propagate and aggregate trust information among multi-hop neighbours, resulting in more accurate device reliability evaluation. Considering the dynamic and privacy-sensitive nature of device resources, a privacy-preserving resource evaluation mechanism is implemented using agentic AI. Each device hosts a large AI model-driven agent capable of autonomously determining whether its local resources meet the requirements of a given task, ensuring both task-specific and privacy-preserving trust evaluation. By combining the outcomes of these assessments, only the trusted devices can coordinate a task-oriented multi-hop cooperation path through their agents in a distributed manner. Experimental results show that our proposed GADAI outperforms the comparison algorithms in planning multi-hop paths that maximize the value of task completion.

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Tutorial on Large Language Model-Enhanced Reinforcement Learning for Wireless Networks

Reinforcement Learning (RL) has shown remarkable success in enabling adaptive and data-driven optimization for various applications in wireless networks. However, classical RL suffers from limitations in generalization, learning feedback, interpretability, and sample efficiency in dynamic wireless environments. Large Language Models (LLMs) have emerged as a transformative Artificial Intelligence (AI) paradigm with exceptional capabilities in knowledge generalization, contextual reasoning, and interactive generation, which have demonstrated strong potential to enhance classical RL. This paper serves as a comprehensive tutorial on LLM-enhanced RL for wireless networks. We propose a taxonomy to categorize the roles of LLMs into four critical functions: state perceiver, reward designer, decision-maker, and generator. Then, we review existing studies exploring how each role of LLMs enhances different stages of the RL pipeline. Moreover, we provide a series of case studies to illustrate how to design and apply LLM-enhanced RL in low-altitude economy networking, vehicular networks, and space-air-ground integrated networks. Finally, we conclude with a discussion on potential future directions for LLM-enhanced RL and offer insights into its future development in wireless networks.

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