New 6G Waves issue: Interim review of 6G research at the University of Oulu
The University of Oulu has been conducting 6G research for six years. This is longer than anywhere else. 6G must provide increased transmission capacity and secure and reliable global service delivery. This will help bridge the existing digital divide. The University of Oulu’s 6G Flagship research programme has published a new issue of its 6G Waves magazine. The magazine is an annual publication celebrating the achievements of 6G research and development.
Since the early stages of the 6G Flagship proposal, technologies and hardware have been identified as key research areas. In the early days of 4G and even 5G research, these were not obvious priorities. However, the importance of hardware has become clear in recent years, with specialised processors driving huge data computations for AI solutions, and systems-on-chip (SoC) and RF transceivers powering large telecom antenna arrays. Securing technological sovereignty requires initiatives such as ChipActs and skilled professionals. Global developments have also highlighted the strategic importance of dual-use technologies.
The ninth issue of 6G Waves, which has just been published, introduces researchers in the field, events and, of course, the future. The journal covers the latest news in the field and opens up the basics of research, focusing in particular on high-frequency radio frequency research, signal processing and device development. This issue of 6G Waves concentrates on compelling stories of success in device and circuit research, from antenna innovations to 300 GHz amplifiers and silicon-based receivers.
“It has been some time since the first visions of 6G emerged. The early targets were ambitious, even talking about THz communications. Some of the more grounded visions initiated serious research into the upper mmW frequency range, now known as sub-THz. Meeting future data rate demands will likely require bandwidths beyond the mmW frequencies of 5G. This has led us to investigate the feasibility of technologies that once seemed like science fiction. In many cases, we’ve made the leap from concept to concrete development, taking the first step towards commercial solutions. However, there is still a long way to go”, writes Professor of Radio Engineering Aarno Pärssinen, Head of the Devices and Circuits Research Area, in the magazine’s foreword.