A better understanding of radio wave propagation processes could enhance 5G and 6G networks

Researchers from the Smart and Wireless Applications and Technologies Group (SWAT-UGR) conducted two scientific studies aiming to answer a common question: how electromagnetic waves propagate in a medium.

Increased network speeds will open up new possibilities such as robotic surgery and virtual reality services.

A team of researchers from UGR investigated the propagation of electromagnetic waves with the aim of enhancing the rollout of 5G and 6G networks. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the development of Industry 4.0, which aims to automate factory processes using wireless technologies.

Researchers who are part of the SWAT-UGR group have launched two scientific studies addressing a common question: how electromagnetic waves propagate in a medium. The first paper, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communicationsaddresses the challenge of estimating two key parameters that characterize electromagnetic waves: the angle of a signal passing through a medium and the time of arrival.

To achieve this, the team employs a “somewhat unconventional” sensor geometry: a toroidal array shaped similar to a doughnut. The second published study aims to understand the mechanisms by which electromagnetic waves propagate in industrial environments and to investigate how they are affected by such scenarios.

What these studies have in common is the study of millimeter waves, the invisible messengers that carry information for communication services such as mobile networks and Wi-Fi. Currently, these services typically operate in frequency bands below 6 GHz. However, with the exponential growth in users and devices, these networks are at risk of saturation.

As a result, one of the main propositions of the new 5G and 6G technologies is to deploy services on higher frequency bands than current ones, which would give users faster network speeds, more stable connections and open up new possibilities such as robotic surgery and virtual reality services.

“Before extending our network to new frequencies, it is important to understand how radio waves propagate in these bands, since there are notable differences between this mmWave band and those currently in use,” explains Alejandro Ramirez Arroyo, principal researcher at UGR. “For example, waves propagate differently across the ocean than they do between buildings in a city like Granada,” Ramirez adds.

The second study IEEE Vehicle Technology Transactionsfocuses on a specific environment, for example an industrial scenario where radio waves are exposed to obstacles caused by heavy machinery. Therefore, this study analyzes how mmWaves propagate in factories to improve the performance of wireless networks.

It is noteworthy that the research was carried out in Aalborg University’s 5G Smart Production Lab, a unique European laboratory where the latest technologies in Industry 4.0 developments are implemented.

Future Applications

What future applications will result from these University of Granada findings? According to Ramirez, a thorough understanding of the propagation channel and how radio waves propagate offers opportunities to enhance the future deployment of 5G and 6G networks. These results are notable in that they were obtained using a unique geometric shape such as a toroidal array.

Furthermore, research carried out in the 5G Smart Production Lab provides guidelines for understanding the deployment of communication networks in industrial environments, shedding light on the operation of mmWave networks and contributing to the development of Industry 4.0, whose goal is to automate production processes in factories using wireless means.