- 6G development has received a boost from a new breakthrough
- Using reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, researchers found that electromagnetic waves can be manipulated
- The research was carried out by engineers led by the University of Glasgow
Research engineers have established a potential solution to one of the main problems in the development of 6G: electromagnetic interference, or EMI. Using reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (referred to as “RIS”), they have been able to control, redirect, amplify and generally manipulate signals, promote 6G data and attenuate EMI.
The development of 6G, which is intended to deliver network speeds up to 100 times faster than 5G, has encountered various stumbling blocks, not least the electromagnetic interference presented by almost all connected devices in the world.
When it finally rolls out, 6G is expected to revolutionize connectivity, from standard Wi-Fi connectivity to smart home and Internet of Things and more.
Cancellation of interference
Previous attempts to deal with the EMI problem in 6G research have been made, but researchers found that weakening EMI also weakened the 6G signal.
The team, working with the University of Glasgow, have found that their approach to RIS, with programmable elements placed across the surface, can manipulate electromagnetic waves. These elements can reflect and focus signals, redirect EMI and increase signal strength, and can be individually programmed and controlled.
The team has established what it has called an “EMI-aware framework,” which “fingerprints” the interference, scans for the strongest signal path, and uses RIS to route signals to avoid EMI.
“In the past, canceling this kind of interference meant that the base station had to do a huge amount of intensive digital signal processing, and that calculation is expensive in terms of energy,” said Jalil Kazim of The James Watt School of Engineering’s and a co-author of the paper.
“By placing an intelligent surface in the environment, we can shape the signal path in a way that helps deal with the interference before it ever reaches the base station. This eases both the computational burden and the energy costs of the network itself.”
EMI and privacy
However, the challenges of 6G development are more than managing the basics of successful connectivity. EMI can prove to be a security issue and the RIS solution can ensure that data signals are properly routed. This also has internal privacy implications as it can deliver the correct data to specific users and devices.
Professor Muhammad Ali Imran, head of the James Watt School of Engineering, who also co-authored the paper, added: “Security, privacy and resilience are no longer optional extras in these networks, but essential requirements. Our surface can direct the signal to the users we trust and deny it to those we don’t, bringing us closer to the secure, flexible communication technologies of tomorrow that will define the communication technologies of the future.”
Commercial 6G is expected to begin rolling out in 2030.
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