Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 6G-REFERENCE (6G haRdware Enablers For cEll fRee cohEreNt Communications & sEnsing)
Período documentado: 2024-01-01 hasta 2025-06-30
6G-REFERENCE targets radio unit hardware innovations enabling 6G densely distributed systems for high data rates and sensing. 6G Networks should include integrated sensing and communications, from chemical and physical sensing to localization and positioning. To allow for flexible deployment, optical fibre access cannot be taken for granted and may just be available for a few radio unit access points. Synchronization in frequency and time over the air then becomes a key challenge. Improvements in data capacity are wanted, while also supporting distributed sensing functionality towards the full internet of sense, where machines and robots can sense the environment through physical and chemical sensors, as well as integrating full radar capabilities, using the same hardware. Realizing all this functionality in practical hardware with low complexity, cost, and power consumption is a key challenge. The same hardware solutions should be reused for sensing and communications to achieve sustainable radio design. The 6G-REFERENCE consortium believes this may be possible by exploiting cm-wave 10-15GHz spectrum or the frequency range 3 (FR3), which already received a strong industrial interest, including a study item in 3GPP.
6G REFERENCE activities relate to: (i) transceiver cm-wave radio frequency hardware innovations to address the data capacity and scheduling challenge of distributed multiple-input multiple-output systems. (ii) Novel solutions for accurate over-the-air frequency, phase, and time synchronization. This would not only support high-capacity data rate communication but may also enable high-resolution timing, enabling accurate localization, positioning, and sensing. (iii) New RF and antenna components providing extended spatial and frequency domain selective capabilities at reduced complexity, cost, and energy consumption. (iv) Hardware integrated circuit solutions with low complexity, low cost, and low power consumption. Sustainable radio design by using the same chips for communications and sensing, from physical and chemical, to radar. (v) Coexistence with existing services in the 10-15GHz range, which is targeted since it not only provides new spectrum opportunities but also efficiently balances the benefits and drawbacks of sub-6GHz and mm-wave solutions.
The main 6G REFERENCE achievements relate to the production of enablers in the form of integrated circuits and antenna technology for sensing and communications, towards a sustainable 6G radio unit design.
The main 6G REFERENCE achievements relate to the production of enablers in the form of integrated circuits and antenna technology for sensing and communications, towards a sustainable 6G radio unit design.
6G-REFERENCE will contribute to the European leadership in microelectronic solutions for communication and sensing infrastructure, targeting not only coherent data transmissions but also high-accuracy localization and sensing, thus materializing the connection between physical, chemical, digital, and human worlds. The green transition in 6G-REFERENCE will rely on densified deployments of low-energy distributed nodes, capable of providing, at the same time, enhanced multiuser beamforming schemes for data transmission and accurate sensing. Enabling a densified deployment of distributed radio units, 6G-REFERENCE will contribute to improving the availability in high-density populated areas, ensuring coverage from multiple radio units in every corner. Moreover, it will be achieved in a sustainable manner, from the energy efficiency point of view, including the use of the same integrated circuit hardware for sensing and communications. In addition, we will also directly contribute to SDG 13 on climate actions, by developing environmental chemical sensors in the antenna system hardware to potentially realize virtual environmental quality maps, also applied to secure clean hydrogen energy storage. 6G-REFERENCE will not directly address new business models but will indirectly enable their conception, especially by integrating communications with localization and passive radar sensing, which may definitely boost the creation of new applications and businesses. The ultimate goal of 6G-REFERENCE is to ensure the commercial feasibility of the developed hardware solutions not only by aligning them with current standardization activities and goals, but also by facilitating that the standardization work can be based on the correct knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of the developed hardware.