The Methodology
6G-REFERENCE is an ambitious project proposing novel high-risk techniques like full duplex
data transmission and timing synchronization, dynamic array concepts like FMA and TMA,
and the enablers for integrated communications and sensing, among others.
This research aims at exploring these advanced techniques and demonstrating feasibility to realize super resolution in space and time enabling cell-free joint communication and sensing systems operating at the 10-15GHz. The project ambition is to develop the enabling solutions to TRL4 (Technology Readiness Level), demonstrating their feasibility and superior capabilities in laboratory conditions, and proving that they will play a vital role in future 6G networks, especially in urban scenarios with high population density.
Why cell-free deployments?
Because 6G networks will become user centric systems, in which the network will self-organize its available resources to provide the requested service to the user in a seamless fashion from the user point of view. Cell-free systems are inherently user centric, since a subset of distributed nodes, i.e radio units (RU), are selected to coherently serve a given user, but the selected set changes from user-to-user or with the user location. In this way, it can be ensured that each user is served by the best (typically the closest) set of RUs, thus providing the best service to each user.
Why cell-free deployments?
Because 6G networks will become user centric systems, in which the network will self-organize its available resources to provide the requested service to the user in a seamless fashion from the user point of view. Cell-free systems are inherently user centric, since a subset of distributed nodes, i.e radio units (RU), are selected to coherently serve a given user, but the selected set changes from user-to-user or with the user location. In this way, it can be ensured that each user is served by the best (typically the closest) set of RUs, thus providing the best service to each user.
Why joint communications
and sensing?
Because 6G is expected to no longer be about solely improving the communication capacity of the networks, but its goal is to ensure the efficient interconnectivity between the physical, the digital, and the human worlds. Distributed sensing across the deployment area and accurate localization of users within it will permit monitoring the surroundings of the users and provide them situational awareness for an uncountable number of applications, realizing the internet of sense.
Why joint communications
and sensing?
Because 6G is expected to no longer be about solely improving the communication capacity of the networks, but its goal is to ensure the efficient interconnectivity between the physical, the digital, and the human worlds. Distributed sensing across the deployment area and accurate localization of users within it will permit monitoring the surroundings of the users and provide them situational awareness for an uncountable number of applications, realizing the internet of sense.
Why operating at the
10-15GHz range?
Because the so-called cm-waves provide the best balance between sub-6GHz and mm-wave communications. However, the large pathloss associated with mm-wave communication requires the use of antenna arrays with a large number of elements, which translates to higher costs and power consumptions, so a challenge to scalability and sustainability, especially considering the real services requiring those high data rates. Cm-waves benefits can allocate similarly large channel bandwidths as with mm-waves, but they experience less pathloss, so the complexity, power consumption and cost with respect to mm-wave can be significantly reduced.
Why operating at the
10-15GHz range?
Because the so-called cm-waves provide the best balance between sub-6GHz and mm-wave communications. However, the large pathloss associated with mm-wave communication requires the use of antenna arrays with a large number of elements, which translates to higher costs and power consumptions, so a challenge to scalability and sustainability, especially considering the real services requiring those high data rates. Cm-waves benefits can allocate similarly large channel bandwidths as with mm-waves, but they experience less pathloss, so the complexity, power consumption and cost with respect to mm-wave can be significantly reduced.
Simplified D-MIMO cell-free
radio system architecture
operating at 10-15GHz
Challenges
6G-REFERENCE aims to tackle the following 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
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