Wireless Environment as a Service Enabled by Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: The RISE-6G Perspective

TLDR

6G envisions flexible, connect‑and‑compute technologies that will transform wireless networks into a distributed smart connectivity infrastructure, supporting sustainable, human‑centered smart societies and embedding new terminal types into everyday environments. The RISE‑6G project seeks to develop the wireless environment as a service by leveraging reconfigurable intelligent surfaces to dynamically control radio wave propagation. To achieve this, the project will model RIS‑assisted propagation, analyze the fundamental limits of RIS‑empowered communications and sensing, and design efficient algorithms for orchestrating networking RISs to create intelligent, sustainable, programmable wireless environments beyond 5G. RISE‑6G will deliver two pioneering proof‑of‑concepts that demonstrate controlled wireless environments for near‑future use cases.

Abstract

The design of 6th Generation (6G) wireless networks points towards flexible connect-and-compute technologies capable to support innovative services and use cases. Targeting the 2030 horizon, 6G networks are poised to pave the way for sustainable human-centered smart societies and vertical industries, such that wireless networks will be transformed into a distributed smart connectivity infrastructure, where new terminal types are embedded in the daily environment. In this context, the RISE-6G project aims at investigating innovative solutions that capitalize on the latest advances in the emerging technology of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs), which offers dynamic and goal-oriented radio wave propagation control, enabling the concept of the wireless environment as a service. The project will focus on: i) the realistic modeling of RIS-assisted signal propagation, ii) the investigation of the fundamental limits of RIS-empowered wireless communications and sensing, and iii) the design of efficient algorithms for orchestrating networking RISs, in order to implement intelligent, sustainable, and dynamically programmable wireless environments enabling diverse services that go well beyond the 5G capabilities. RISE-6G will offer two unprecedented proof-of-concepts for realizing controlled wireless environments in near-future use cases.