We are approaching a wireless future, where everything around us becomes connected and increasingly intelligent. Access to wireless connectivity is becoming as ...
Even if the 6G standardization is just beginning, the last five years of intensive research have illuminated the contours of the next-generation technology. In this episode, Emil Björnson and Erik G. Larsson discuss the recent paper “6G takes shape” written by leading researchers at UT Austin and Qualcomm. The conversation covers lessons learned from 5G, the potential role of new frequency bands and waveforms, and new coding schemes and forms of MIMO. The roles of machine learning and generative AI, as well as satellite integration and Open RAN, are also discussed. The original paper by Jeffrey G. Andrews, Todd E. Humphreys, and Tingfang Ji will appear in the IEEE BITS magazine, and the preprint is openly available: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.18435
Music: On the Verge by Joseph McDade. Visit Erik’s website https://liu.se/en/employee/erila39 and Emil’s website https://ebjornson.com/
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1:06:35
41. 6G in the Upper Mid-Band
New cellular network deployments are often associated with new frequency bands. 6G will likely use the upper mid-band from 7-24 GHz. It is called the “golden band” since it provides more spectrum than in current 5G networks and features decent propagation conditions. In this episode, Erik G. Larsson and Emil Björnson discuss the coexistence issues that must be overcome when operating in this band and how much spectrum we can expect to utilize. The future role of multi-antenna technology and its associated challenges are detailed, including the emerging “Gigantic MIMO” term. The prospects of exploiting near-field propagation effects in 6G and the road towards distributed cell-free MIMO are also covered. You can read Emil’s paper about Gigantic MIMO here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.05630 Nokia has a white paper about coverage evaluation: https://onestore.nokia.com/asset/213702
Music: On the Verge by Joseph McDade. Visit Erik’s website https://liu.se/en/employee/erila39 and Emil’s website https://ebjornson.com/
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56:25
40. Synchronization of Massive Antenna Arrays
Many textbook models of communication systems assume that the transmitter and receiver are synchronized in time, frequency, and phase. Achieving and maintaining such synchronization is an often-overlooked practical challenge. However, the importance of synchronization grows as we plan to use larger antenna arrays and distributed MIMO in 6G. In this episode, Emil Björnson and Erik G. Larsson discuss some fundamental principles of synchronization, including the underlying physical phenomena, pilot signaling for phase synchronization, and reciprocity calibration. We especially discuss how the seemingly simplest angular beamforming can be among the hardest features to support from a synchronization perspective, with a digital array. More technical details in the papers https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05144 and
https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.11730
Music: On the Verge by Joseph McDade. Visit Erik’s website https://liu.se/en/employee/erila39 and Emil’s website https://ebjornson.com/
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39. Radio Stripes at Terahertz (With Parisa Aghdam)
Massive bandwidths are available in the sub-terahertz bands, but the coverage of a cellular network exploiting those frequencies will be spotty. The 6GTandem project tries to circumvent this issue by developing a dual-frequency system architecture that jointly uses the sub-6 GHz and sub-THz bands. In this episode, Erik G. Larsson and Emil Björnson are visited by Dr. Parisa Aghdam, Technical Lead of 6GTandem and Research Manager at Ericsson. The discussion starts with potential use cases, such as extended reality services in stadiums and connected factories. The conversation then focuses on hardware aspects, such as how to build a distributed antenna system using plastic microwave fibers and amplifiers so that sub-THz signals can be transmitted from many different locations. You can read more about the EU-funded project and its partners at https://horizon-6gtandem.eu/
Music: On the Verge by Joseph McDade. Visit Erik’s website https://liu.se/en/employee/erila39 and Emil’s website https://ebjornson.com/
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1:00:04
38. Things We Learned at the 6G Symposium
Many topics are studied within the 6G research community, from hardware design to algorithms, protocols, and services. Erik G. Larsson and Emil Björnson recently attended the ELLIIT 6G Symposium in Lund, Sweden. In this episode, they discuss ten things that they learned from listening to the keynote speeches. The topics span from integrated sensing, positioning, and localization via machine-learning applications in communications to fundamental communication theory, such as circuits for universal channel decoding and jamming protection. The expected 6G spectrum ranges, energy efficiency in base stations, and new use cases for electromagnetic materials are also covered. You can find slides from the symposium at https://elliit.se/news-and-events/focus-period-lund-2023/ Music: On the Verge by Joseph McDade. Visit Erik’s website https://liu.se/en/employee/erila39 and Emil’s website https://ebjornson.com/
We are approaching a wireless future, where everything around us becomes connected and increasingly intelligent. Access to wireless connectivity is becoming as essential to our lives as access to electricity and water. In this podcast, two renowned Swedish academics discuss current and future wireless technology, as well as its impact on society. Erik G. Larsson is an IEEE Fellow and Professor at Linköping University, Sweden. Emil Björnson is an IEEE Fellow and Professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. They have written several textbooks, received numerous scientific awards, published hundreds of papers, and have tens of granted patents. They have a YouTube channel with 27k+ subscribers, youtube.com/wirelessfuture