Many wireless innovations are investigated, yet impressive capabilities or concepts are not guaranteed survival through the development cycles. A worthy technology concept must have a marketable use case for its audience to adopt it. Sixth-generation (6G) cellular technology enablers are now under that research and evaluation microscope. Based on the findings of this year’s research, these innovations will or will not be included in 6G in the near term – if at all. At this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, demos test these experimental technologies across new spectrum ranges, network topologies, modeling, and intelligence advances to shape the future of 6G.
What Is the Focus of Current 6G Research?
The goal of today’s 6G research is to prove the viability of technologies in the following areas:
- spectrum allocations between 7 and 24 GHz, often called frequency range 3 (FR3)
- wide bandwidths from 90-300 GHz, commonly referred to as sub-terahertz (Sub-THz)
- artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI/ML)
- reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS)
- integrated sensing and communications (ISAC)
- non-terrestrial networks (NTN)
- radio-access network (RAN) approaches
Demonstrations at this year’s MWC bring these technologies from theory to real-life example by validating their potential performance.
Radio Access Network (RAN)
The RAN is the radio base station network required to interface with mobile user equipment. The Open RAN developments started in 5G virtualize as much digital functionality as possible and disaggregate the base station (g-NodeB) with standardized architecture and open interfaces. The Open RAN concept will continue to evolve in 6G with ongoing development focusing specifically on using AI to increase network flexibility and versatility. AI and RAN work on the same cluster, which is critical because AI-RAN must manage workloads concurrently while performing processing and maintaining robust security and privacy.
The MWC demonstration, titled AI-RAN Orchestration, shows how to organize the testing of radio network convergence technology for maximizing infrastructure. Essentially, we evaluate the infrastructure while investigating options for covering the dynamic allocation of AI and RAN resources. The goal is to define the key performance indicators (KPIs) needed to support end to end quality of experience for wireless users.
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)
Every cellular generation has struggled to overcome areas that blocked or weakened signal transmission due to indoor and outdoor-to-indoor propagation. Testing of reflective intelligent surfaces (RIS) is underway to potentially help solve this problem in 6G. By reflecting or refracting radio waves, the RIS send the radio signal to these hard-to-reach areas. This approach could use wall-mounted surfaces with intelligent reflection for indoor reception, for example. RIS intelligence would allow these systems to adapt to changing conditions (people, furniture changes, relocation of indoor machinery, etc.).
You can use digital twins to foresee how RIS will be deployed and try to understand the impact of their integration (Fig. 1). The 6G Simulation to Emulation demo shows how four reflective panels in FR2 will be measured and deployed. The goal is to see how the addition of such reflectors will impact network operation and performance.
Figure 1. Using digital twins allows researchers to model 6G network performance with various RIS units.
The Keysight Digital Twins for 6G demo features a large-scale private network covering the city of Malaga, Spain. The network model is created by importing a diverse set of data sources including the following:
- ray-tracing models
- LIDAR
- telco configurations
- open-source data
- laboratory measurements
- live telemetry
The digital twin is calibrated through live measurement, and then used to gain insights into the current performance of the overall network and potential improvements that can be achieved from deploying new 6G candidate technologies like the reflectors. This demo pairs with 6G Simulation to Emulation, which provides innovative examples to design tools that can accurately simulate RF propagation environments for new wireless technologies. Manufacturers can accelerate the development of new and complex 6G technologies by leveraging site-specific RF propagation environments for digital twin simulations and real device testing with emulation, chipset, device, and network equipment.
AI / ML
Designers need to drive down space, weight, and cost while increasing performance for 6G – a task made more difficult by increasingly levels of integration. The 6G AI Design Automation demo provides one pathway via 3D Circuit-EM-Thermal multi-physics co-design capability. The software offers high-performance automation with AI / ML, robust RF and millimeter-wave design validation, and supports wideband power amplifier techniques like nonlinear load pull. By linking Keysight’s PathWave System Design 2025 and Advanced Design System (ADS) via the RF System Explorer, you can enable NTN systems design and AI / ML-based model training, along with RF-true phased array design for 5G and 6G. We also demonstrate AI / ML driven 6G air interface optimization for three use cases promoted by the 3GPP: channel state information (CSI) feedback/reporting, positioning accuracy, and beam management.
Spectrum
Every generation includes work to improve the use of spectrum allocated during previous generations. For 6G, this means maximizing capability in spectrum used today in 4G and 5G below 7 GHz as well as that from 24 to 71 GHz (which was new to 5G). Additional spectrum for 6G is still under study and regulatory review, but the discussion centers on adding allocations between 7 and 24 GHz FR3 and exploring sub-THz wide bandwidth capability from 90 to 300 GHz. A few test setups achieve examine FR3 capabilities from MIMO design through RF front-end characterization.
Figure 2. Shown are examples of solutions supporting the research of the 6G “FR3” band from 7 to 24 GHz.
Network Topologies
The integration of non-terrestrial with terrestrial networks began as part of 5G Rel-17, but will take a much more aggressive form in 6G. Expect the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks to advance in capabilities, making full use of direct-to-handset technology and expanding to a much greater array of services. In the 6G development ecosystem, partners cooperate on technology investigations and bridge 5G to 6G across various technologies including NTN. At MWC, you can see cutting-edge examples of device optimization, AI design, and industrial network advances.
From MWC to the Future
Every demonstration at MWC represents an exciting exploration of possibilities for 6G. Even if these technologies do not make it into 6G and are never commercialized, they provide an opportunity to learn how to design, produce, and test mobile wireless innovations.
Research and development will be the main 6G focus for approximately 18 to 24 months, at which time most work will transition to development. The goal is getting to a commercial launch around 2030. This year, the wireless industry will lay some of the foundation for this future technology by framing initial standards work in 3GPP and ITU, and continuing the evaluation of 6G technology enablers. From the initial seeds of 6G exploration this year, you can look forward to future MWC demonstrations of standardized use cases that push the boundaries of wireless innovation into the future. To see this year’s demo lineup and meet our experts, please visit us at both 5F41 in Hall 5.