Explicit communication semantics are often considered essential for rich interaction between heterogeneous automated systems. While extensive work on semantic models has been carried out, much of this work remains to be tested in real open environments. This paper briefly describes some of the issues and challenges to be considered when combining existing semantic frameworks for effective agent communication. In particular, we describe issues related to the development of the Agentcities Network which is a large-scale open test bed for agent systems that aims to enable on-line experimentation with semantic frameworks for agent communication. The presentation is kept discursive in nature: characterizing different aspects of communication, outlining research challenges, commenting on possible strategies and describing the current status of activities in the Agentcities Network.