Implementation Challenges and Opportunities in Beyond-5G and 6G Communication

As 5G New Radio (NR) is being rolled out, research effort is being focused on the evolution of what is to come in the post-5G era. In order to meet the diverse requirements of future wireless communication in terms of increased capacity and reduced latency, technologies such as distributed massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), sub-millimeter wave and Tera-hertz spectrum become technology components of interest. Furthermore, to meet the demands on connectivity anywhere at anytime, non-terrestrial satellite networks will be needed, which brings about challenges both in terms of implementation as well as deployment. Finally, scaling up massive Internet-of-Things (IoT), energy harvesting and Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) is foreseen to become important enablers when deploying a large amount of small, low-power radios. In this paper, we will discuss some of the important opportunities these technologies bring, and the challenges faced by the microwave and wireless communication communities.