The development of communications in the lower THz range envisioned for 6G will only be possible with a solid understanding of the propagation properties of electromagnetic waves. The new frequency range between 100 GHz and 330 GHz has aroused worldwide interest and has also been the focus of recent Rohde & Schwarz measurement campaigns. The company's findings have contributed to the ITU-R Working Group 5D (W5PD) report, which will provide input to the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) World Radiocommunication Conference 2023, where it is scheduled to analyze frequency bands. above 100 GHz and its possible assignment.
Rohde & Schwarz actively supports research activities at 6G organizations, universities and research institutions in Europe, Asia and the US. The company's Test & Measurement solutions and expertise help lay the foundation for the next generation of communications 6G wireless communications, with commercial deployment expected around the year 2030. The lower THz range typically encompasses the 100 to 300 GHz frequency range and represents one of the potential building blocks of a future 6G wireless communications standard.
Frequency technology in the lower THz range promises to be indispensable not only to achieve the expected requirements in terms of maximum throughput at the 1 Tbps level and extremely low latencies, but also as a basis for exciting new applications. Access to broader bandwidths will enable high-performance, short-distance communications, combined with scanning of the environment to detect objects or advanced gesture recognition down to a level of pinpoint resolution. To realize the full potential of this technology, it is essential to understand the propagation characteristics of THz frequencies by performing channel sounding measurements.
To this end, Rohde & Schwarz has carried out a channel sounding measurement campaign in an urban microenvironment, as well as in an indoor scenario at 158 GHz and 300 GHz at the Rohde & Schwarz facility in Munich, Germany. The first results of this campaign have been included in the report "Technical feasibility of IMT in bands above 100 GHz" of the ITU-R Working Group 5D (W5PD), with the aim of studying and providing information on the technical feasibility of mobile communications technologies in the bands above 92 GHz (IMT refers to International Mobile Telecommunications standards). The report will be consulted at the "World Radiocommunication Conference 2023" (WRC23) of the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), where it is planned to analyze the frequency bands beyond 100 GHz and study their allocation at the subsequent WRC27. The current 3GPP channel model is only validated up to 100 GHz. A critical first step for the 6G standardization process is to extend this channel model to higher frequencies.
The recent measurement campaign is part of broader research activities aimed at better understanding millimeter and sub-millimeter mobile radio channels (in the THz range and in the lower THz range), which cover various frequencies relevant to the future. 6G communications standard. To further promote and expand these research activities, the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has awarded Rohde & Schwarz an experimental license. The license covers frequencies in the lower THz range, such as the D band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and the H band (220 GHz to 330 GHz), but also the W band (75 GHz to 110 GHz ), FR2 (millimeter waves), FR3 (7 GHz to 24 GHz) and the industrial frequency band in Germany, 3,7 GHz to 3,8 GHz.
Taro Eichler, CTO at Rohde & Schwarz and responsible for the recent measurement campaign in the lower THz range, comments: "We are proud to contribute to the research of THz technologies and further expand knowledge through the use of our Test & Measurement solutions to early application scenarios and fundamental research, in collaboration with renowned partners such as the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut (HHI) and the Technical University of Berlin. Our current activities allow us to lay the groundwork to drive a critical step in the 6G standardization process.”
