Qualcomm is enhancing mmWave technology for 5G to support high-demand environments like stadiums.
The company aims to improve mmWave performance and enable cost-efficient expansion in areas requiring high network capacity.
Long-term plans are being considered for mmWave’s role in 6G, leveraging its vast bandwidth and channel sizes.
Feature enhancements, such as multi-user MIMO, are being developed to increase system capacity and support new applications like Extended Reality (XR).
Cost-effective deployment is a priority, with the development of new network nodes like repeaters and devices for wireless access and backhaul.
Repeaters are seen as a solution to extend mmWave coverage efficiently due to its limited propagation characteristics.
Qualcomm is also developing Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technologies, with commercialization expected around the 2030s, aligning with the potential rollout of 6G.
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) act as mirrors that can be adjusted by a base station to control the direction and shape of reflected radio waves.
RIS are passive devices, meaning they do not require active power sources, making them energy-efficient and cost-effective.
They can be used to enhance coverage by adjusting reflections to fill in coverage gaps without the need for fiber connections or wired power.
When paired with battery-operated solar panels, RIS devices offer a sustainable solution for future network coverage enhancements.\
Looking ahead, the deployment of millimeter-wave (mmWave) networks could facilitate wireless sensing capabilities.
This technology would enable the analysis of radio frequency propagation and the detection of object movements, even for non-networked objects.
By utilizing existing data signals, it is possible to sense and digitally replicate the entire environment, paving the way for new services.
In the future, particularly in the era of 6G, joint communication sensing is anticipated to become a significant innovation.
