- 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.