A Survey of 6G Wireless Communications: Emerging Technologies

TL;DR

This survey reviews emerging 6G wireless technologies, highlighting key advancements like AI, intelligent surfaces, and terahertz communications, and discusses their potential to meet future network demands.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of essential 6G technologies, detailing recent developments and potential future directions in wireless communication.

Findings

AI and intelligent surfaces are central to 6G innovation

Terahertz communications enable higher data rates

Other technologies like blockchain and holography are also promising

Abstract

While fifth-generation (5G) communications are being rolled out around the world, sixth-generation (6G) communications have attracted much attention from both the industry and academia. Compared with 5G, 6G will have a wider frequency band, higher transmission rate, spectrum efficiency, greater connection capacity, shorter delay, wider coverage and stronger anti-interference capability, so as to meet the various network requirements for industries. In this paper, we present a survey of potential essential technologies in 6G. In particular, we will introduce artificial intelligence, intelligent surfaces, terahertz communications technologies in detail, while giving a brief introduction to other potential technologies, including visible light communications, Blockchain-enabled wireless network, advanced duplex and holographic radio.