6G Hardware Enablers for Cell Free Coherent
Communications and Sensing

6G-REFERENCE envisions a future where urban areas are equipped with sustainable solutions
that can cope with the ever-increasing traffic demands and population densification, while
providing disruptive capabilities like the materialization of the internet of sense.

6G-REFERENCE will:

DEVELOP

Develop integrated circuit and antenna component solutions, including dynamic frequency filtering and modulated radiation, to enable efficient spectrum coexistence schemes.

DEVELOP

Develop integrated circuit and antenna component solutions, including dynamic frequency filtering and modulated radiation, to enable efficient spectrum coexistence schemes.

DEPLOY

Deploy practical hardware enablers in terms of low complexity, cost and power consumption that could end up constituting a reference design for future 6G-distributed radios.

DEPLOY

Deploy practical hardware enablers in terms of low complexity, cost and power consumption that could end up constituting a reference design for future 6G-distributed radios.

Objectives

6G-REFERENCE will develop hardware enablers constituting a reference design of distributed
radios for a cell-free communication and sensing system operating in the 10-15 GHz range.

The project targets low complexity and low power, in other words, practical integrated circuits
(IC) and antenna systems for 6G applications. It aims at enabling new functionalities addressing D-MIMO communication scenarios but extended to support distributed sensing and accurate localization and positioning.

Objectives

6G-REFERENCE will develop hardware enablers constituting a reference design of distributed
radios for a cell-free communication and sensing system operating in the 10-15 GHz range.

The project targets low complexity and low power, in other words, practical integrated circuits
(IC) and antenna systems for 6G applications. It aims at enabling new functionalities addressing D-MIMO communication scenarios but extended to support distributed sensing and accurate localization and positioning.

Challenges

Accurate
synchronization
among distributed
radio units (cell-free
deployments)

Fronthaul data distribution

Integration of sensing capabilities

Low complexity/cost/
consumption radios

Coexistence with
other services

Methodology

Explore radio system
operation in the
10-15GHz range

Develop hardware
concepts and show
feasibility in CMOS

Use additive
manufacturing for
antenna arrays and
nanotechnology for
sensors

6G-REFERENCE Presents 6G Antennas Innovation at IEEE NEMO 2026

The 6G-REFERENCE project participated in IEEE NEMO 2026 (IEEE MTT-S International Conference on Numerical Electromagnetic and Multiphysics Modelling and Optimisation), held in Valencia, Spain, where Anteral, one of our partners, and our coordinator, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), presented our latest research outcomes in advanced antennas technologies for future 6G communication systems. As...

6G-REFERENCE Showcases Hardware Innovation for Future 6G Networks at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026

From 2-5 June 2026, the 6G-REFERENCE project joined leading researchers, industry representatives and policymakers at the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 in Málaga, Spain, contributing to the programme through two specialised workshops, a scientific paper presentation, a poster session, and a poster booth. The 6G-REFERENCE innovators demonstrated the project’s commitment to developing innovative hardware enablers...

6G-REFERENCE at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026: Workshops, Scientific Paper and Poster Presentations

The 6G-REFERENCE project will participate in the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026, taking place in Málaga, Spain, from 2 to 5 June 2026, contributing to discussions and technical sessions that are shaping the future of 6G networks in Europe. The project partners will take part in two workshops, present a scientific paper, and contribute to...

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