CmWave and Sub-THz: Key Radio Enablers and Complementary Spectrum for 6G

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the potential of cmWave and sub-THz spectra as key enablers for 6G, highlighting their benefits, applications, and the challenges involved in standardization and implementation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive exploration of cmWave and sub-THz spectra for 6G, including case studies, simulations, and discussions on standardization and future research directions.

Findings

ISAC performance with cmWave and sub-THz surpasses 5G spectrum.

RIS and NTN effectively mitigate high attenuation at sub-THz frequencies.

Complementary spectrum bands enable new 6G applications.

Abstract

Sixth-generation (6G) networks are poised to revolutionize communication by exploring alternative spectrum options, aiming to capitalize on strengths while mitigating limitations in current fifth-generation (5G) spectrum. This paper explores the potential opportunities and emerging trends for cmWave and sub-THz spectra as key radio enablers. This paper poses and answers three key questions regarding motivation of additional spectrum to explore the strategic implementation and benefits of cmWave and sub-THz spectra. Also, we show using case studies how these complementary spectrum bands will enable new applications in 6G, such as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), re-configurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN). Numerical simulations reveal that the ISAC performance of cmWave and sub-THz spectra outperforms that of existing 5G spectrum, including sub-6 GHz and mmWave. Additionally, we illustrate the effective interplay between RIS and NTN to counteract the effects of high attenuation at sub-THz frequencies. Finally, ongoing standardization endeavors, challenges and promising directions are elucidated for these complementary spectrum bands.