6G Wireless Channel Measurements and Models: Trends and Challenges

TL;DR

This paper surveys 6G wireless channel measurements and models across various frequency bands and scenarios, highlighting key technologies, challenges, and future research directions including AI and IRS-based models.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of 6G channel characteristics, measurement techniques, and models across diverse scenarios and frequencies, and discusses future research challenges.

Findings

Extensive survey of 6G channel measurements across all frequency bands.

Identification of key challenges in modeling 6G wireless channels.

Discussion of future research directions including AI and IRS technologies.

Abstract

In this article, we first present our vision on the application scenarios, performance metrics, and potential key technologies of the sixth generation (6G) wireless communication networks. Then, 6G wireless channel measurements, characteristics, and models are comprehensively surveyed for all frequency bands and all scenarios, focusing on millimeter wave (mmWave), terahertz (THz), and optical wireless communication channels under all spectrums, satellite, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), maritime, and underwater acoustic communication channels under global coverage scenarios, and high-speed train (HST), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), ultra-massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orbital angular momentum (OAM), and industry Internet of things (IoT) communication channels under full application scenarios. Future research challenges on 6G channel measurements, a general standard 6G channel model framework, channel measurements and models for intelligent reflection surface (IRS) based 6G technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled channel measurements and models are also given.