Periodic Reporting for period 1 - 6G-MUSICAL (6G-Multiband Wireless and Optical Signalling for Integrated Communications, Sensing and Localization)
Période du rapport: 2024-01-01 au 2025-06-30
Building upon previous generations, 6G will target both human and machine-type communications, enabling novel and disruptive use cases. This paradigm shift will drive exponential growth in users and services, which must efficiently share limited resources.
Two services of particular relevance are communications and radar/localization. Historically studied separately, their integration offers major gains in resource utilization, a necessity for massive connectivity. Moreover, communications can enhance radar, enabling high-resolution sensing of complex environments. These dual benefits—efficiency and advanced sensing—motivate 6G-Musical, whose goal is seamless integration of radar and communication.
The project adopts a multi-static radar architecture, where distributed access points (APs) forward signals to a centralized unit for joint processing, while still allowing localized AP processing for flexibility. Inspired by user-centric cell-free networks, APs can dynamically operate as transmitters or receivers. In contrast, monostatic radar integration is harder, as communication signals overlap with echoes, requiring costly full-duplex hardware. The multi-static design mitigates this and aligns naturally with cell-free architectures, making it the preferred solution for 6G-Musical.
Timeliness and relevance are underscored by three factors:
1)The global surge of interest in joint communication and sensing (JCAS).
2) The intensification of 6G standardization (2025–2026), creating opportunities for impact.
3) The potential of integrated radar/communication to unlock new applications and revenue streams.
6G-Musical is inherently multidisciplinary, spanning signal processing, communications, radar, and systems engineering. Its methodology relies on a feedback loop between theory and practical validation, ensuring both innovation and real-world relevance. Work is structured into seven interdependent packages, carefully mapped to guarantee coherent, sequential progress.
Two services of particular relevance are communications and radar/localization. Historically studied separately, their integration offers major gains in resource utilization, a necessity for massive connectivity. Moreover, communications can enhance radar, enabling high-resolution sensing of complex environments. These dual benefits—efficiency and advanced sensing—motivate 6G-Musical, whose goal is seamless integration of radar and communication.
The project adopts a multi-static radar architecture, where distributed access points (APs) forward signals to a centralized unit for joint processing, while still allowing localized AP processing for flexibility. Inspired by user-centric cell-free networks, APs can dynamically operate as transmitters or receivers. In contrast, monostatic radar integration is harder, as communication signals overlap with echoes, requiring costly full-duplex hardware. The multi-static design mitigates this and aligns naturally with cell-free architectures, making it the preferred solution for 6G-Musical.
Timeliness and relevance are underscored by three factors:
1)The global surge of interest in joint communication and sensing (JCAS).
2) The intensification of 6G standardization (2025–2026), creating opportunities for impact.
3) The potential of integrated radar/communication to unlock new applications and revenue streams.
6G-Musical is inherently multidisciplinary, spanning signal processing, communications, radar, and systems engineering. Its methodology relies on a feedback loop between theory and practical validation, ensuring both innovation and real-world relevance. Work is structured into seven interdependent packages, carefully mapped to guarantee coherent, sequential progress.
In months 1 to 18, the work carried out encompassed three levels. At the management level, processes were established to ensure an efficient workflow, including coordination, reporting, and data management. At the technical planning level, main specifications were defined, providing a coherent foundation for partner progress. At the system design level, the overall architecture was established alongside the initial development of algorithms and subsystems, fully aligned with the project plan and enabling transition to integrated system development.
The main selected achievements can be summarized as:
Scenarios and use cases – Scenarios and proof-of-concepts were defined, combining communications and sensing with societal impact. Applications include industrial automation (cm-level localisation of automated guided vehicles), mobility (smart convoys), safety/security (intruder and UAV detection, railway monitoring, road faults), environmental monitoring (hyperlocal weather sensing), and smart living (fall detection, gesture recognition). Each scenario is mapped to KPIs (accuracy, latency, detection) and KVIs (safety, trust, inclusiveness).
Architecture – A unified 6G architecture integrates communication, localisation, and sensing. Building on 5G and early standardisation, it introduces a synchronisation plane for edge nodes. Multistatic setups were the most scalable, requiring ultra-precise synchronisation, with over-the-air techniques explored. Deployment costs, efficiency, and operator needs were assessed.
Sustainability – A framework linked business models with environmental, social, and economic sustainability pillars. ICT was seen as both an enabler and a source of environmental challenges. Eco-design, circular economy principles, energy-aware KPIs, and trust-oriented KVIs form the baseline for life-cycle assessment, business prototypes, and policy alignment.
Signal Processing and Multistatic Sensing – Novel algorithms included a signalling method for JCAS and over-the-air synchronisation at cm-level accuracy. Hybrid beamforming combined energy efficiency with precise localisation. Blind channel estimation achieved DoA accuracy near theoretical limits, and network-level orchestration was advanced via the Sensing Clustering Interface Manager (SCIM).
Resource Allocation – Trade-offs in joint communication/sensing were analysed, showing that separating receivers reduces estimation bounds but requires extra hardware.
Precise References & Synchronisation – Experimental optical–RF systems achieved world-record phase noise and frequency stability, generating signals from sub-6 GHz to 40 GHz with RMS jitter below 25 fs. Testbeds with bespoke hardware and a dedicated MAC layer ensured synchronous clock and data delivery. Fibre tests over several kilometres showed integrated jitter below 90 fs for carrier frequencies up to 25 GHz, confirming long-term stability for cm-level localisation.
To maximise impact, a solid dissemination policy was implemented, leading to 20 conference papers, 15 journal publications, 11 invited talks, and contributions to 3GPP.
The main selected achievements can be summarized as:
Scenarios and use cases – Scenarios and proof-of-concepts were defined, combining communications and sensing with societal impact. Applications include industrial automation (cm-level localisation of automated guided vehicles), mobility (smart convoys), safety/security (intruder and UAV detection, railway monitoring, road faults), environmental monitoring (hyperlocal weather sensing), and smart living (fall detection, gesture recognition). Each scenario is mapped to KPIs (accuracy, latency, detection) and KVIs (safety, trust, inclusiveness).
Architecture – A unified 6G architecture integrates communication, localisation, and sensing. Building on 5G and early standardisation, it introduces a synchronisation plane for edge nodes. Multistatic setups were the most scalable, requiring ultra-precise synchronisation, with over-the-air techniques explored. Deployment costs, efficiency, and operator needs were assessed.
Sustainability – A framework linked business models with environmental, social, and economic sustainability pillars. ICT was seen as both an enabler and a source of environmental challenges. Eco-design, circular economy principles, energy-aware KPIs, and trust-oriented KVIs form the baseline for life-cycle assessment, business prototypes, and policy alignment.
Signal Processing and Multistatic Sensing – Novel algorithms included a signalling method for JCAS and over-the-air synchronisation at cm-level accuracy. Hybrid beamforming combined energy efficiency with precise localisation. Blind channel estimation achieved DoA accuracy near theoretical limits, and network-level orchestration was advanced via the Sensing Clustering Interface Manager (SCIM).
Resource Allocation – Trade-offs in joint communication/sensing were analysed, showing that separating receivers reduces estimation bounds but requires extra hardware.
Precise References & Synchronisation – Experimental optical–RF systems achieved world-record phase noise and frequency stability, generating signals from sub-6 GHz to 40 GHz with RMS jitter below 25 fs. Testbeds with bespoke hardware and a dedicated MAC layer ensured synchronous clock and data delivery. Fibre tests over several kilometres showed integrated jitter below 90 fs for carrier frequencies up to 25 GHz, confirming long-term stability for cm-level localisation.
To maximise impact, a solid dissemination policy was implemented, leading to 20 conference papers, 15 journal publications, 11 invited talks, and contributions to 3GPP.
Clear advances to the State-of-the-Art (SoA) are the following:
In signal processing and multistatic sensing, a novel signalling method for JCAS was introduced together with an algorithm enabling over-the-air synchronisation at cm-level accuracy. Hybrid beamforming studies led to an algorithm combining energy efficiency with precise localisation, surpassing benchmark solutions. Advanced blind channel estimation methods achieved sensing and DoA accuracy close to theoretical bounds, while a new orchestration mechanism, the Sensing Clustering Interface Manager (SCIM), was proposed for network-level coordination.
In the generation and synchronisation of highly stable references, optical–RF experimental systems achieved world-record performance in phase noise and frequency stability, producing signals from sub-6 GHz to 40 GHz with RMS jitter below 25 fs. A fully implemented operational testbed, with bespoke hardware and a dedicated MAC layer, ensured synchronous clock and data delivery via phase-update signalling. Fibre-based tests over several kilometres demonstrated <90 fs integrated jitter for carrier frequencies up to 25 GHz, confirming long-term stability well within requirements for cm-level positioning.
In signal processing and multistatic sensing, a novel signalling method for JCAS was introduced together with an algorithm enabling over-the-air synchronisation at cm-level accuracy. Hybrid beamforming studies led to an algorithm combining energy efficiency with precise localisation, surpassing benchmark solutions. Advanced blind channel estimation methods achieved sensing and DoA accuracy close to theoretical bounds, while a new orchestration mechanism, the Sensing Clustering Interface Manager (SCIM), was proposed for network-level coordination.
In the generation and synchronisation of highly stable references, optical–RF experimental systems achieved world-record performance in phase noise and frequency stability, producing signals from sub-6 GHz to 40 GHz with RMS jitter below 25 fs. A fully implemented operational testbed, with bespoke hardware and a dedicated MAC layer, ensured synchronous clock and data delivery via phase-update signalling. Fibre-based tests over several kilometres demonstrated <90 fs integrated jitter for carrier frequencies up to 25 GHz, confirming long-term stability well within requirements for cm-level positioning.