6G-Multiband Wireless and Optical Signalling for Integrated Communications, Sensing and Localisation
Overview
Over the past few decades, wireless communications have evolved into a highly dynamic field. With the deployment of five generations of cellular systems, people worldwide are afforded the convenience of accessing extensive communication services. However, despite the deployment of sensors, the network has consistently functioned merely as a communication conduit. An alternative radio technology, radar technology, shares significant commonalities with the physical layer of wireless communications, but these two technologies have progressed in isolation. Recently, research on the coexistence of radio sensing and communication has opened doors for future systems that inherently possess both functionalities.
6G-MUSICAL is a ground-breaking project that merges radio sensing and communication technologies to create new paradigms in Radio Frequency (RF) communication. The project is perfectly timed to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving world of wireless communications, radio-sensing, localisation, and positioning in future 6G networks. 6G-MUSICAL aims to equip edge infrastructure nodes of 6G with integrated RF/radar-based radio-sensing elements that co-work with communication components. As such, the project will investigate new spectrally and energy efficient system architectures and signals, to facilitate high-rate communication across multi-frequency bands integrated with accurate sensing and localisation.
Objectives
Define physical and logical network architecture and framework for the next-generation integrated communication and sensing network for connected and unconnected objects.
Develop and validate physical-layer waveforms suitable for both communication and radio sensing.
Design development and transport to the infrastructure nodes of low-noise and highly stable reference sources for RF carrier and timing synchronisation.
Develop and validate cooperative MIMO multi-static sensing algorithms to enable high accuracy localisation and tracking and high-resolution 3D imaging.
Develop dynamic resource allocation schemes that enable optimisation of the usage of radio resources to satisfy radio localisation, sensing and communication needs.
Define and validate the business cases and sustainability issues associated with integrated communication and sensing in 6G.
Integration and demonstration of 6G-MUSICAL’s value by conducting appropriate experimentation, testing, and validation of its innovations in lab settings using PoCs.
eBOS Role in the Project
eBOS’ main technical role will be to offer their 5G/6G IoT testbed facility and expertise for the testing and validation of one 6G Use Case in a small-scale lab environment. Additionally, eBOS will use machine learning technology to control the different functionalities of the edge nodes. eBOS, will create a platform based on commercial equipment that will be used in the Proof of Concept.
Parallel to the technical tasks, eBOS will design and maintain the project’s website and contribute to the elaboration of 6G-MUSICAL’s exploitation and sustainability plans, leveraging its extensive experience in the market. eBOS will disseminate the project’s results to key associations and technology clusters through its membership in organisations such as 6G-IA, SNS JU, AIOTI, BDVA/DAIRO, NGI, NESSI, and NetWorldEurope. From an exploitation perspective, eBOS will reinforce its knowledge and understanding in 6G architectures, extend the functionality of the 5G IoT testbed to support novel 6G features, and expand the company’s R&D activities.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
