Sub-THz Communications: Perspective and Results From the Hexa-X-II Project
Sub-THz communications are envisioned to unlock ultra-high data rates, ultra-low latencies, and massive connectivity in future wireless systems by utilizing bandwidths of up to tens of GHz. This paper presents the holistic perspective on sub-THz communications developed within the European sixthgeneration (6G) flagship project Hexa-X-II. According to this perspective, successfully deploying sub-THz systems will require addressing several physical-layer (PHY) challenges associated with the harsh signal propagation and hardware limitations. In addition, sub-THz systems will drive advancements in essential wireless applications beyond communications, such as joint communications and sensing (JCAS). In this context, we present a collection of technical contributions and key findings from the Hexa-X-II project that have shaped this perspective. In contrast to existing works, these efforts collectively tackle the fundamental PHY challenges of sub-THz communications, i.e., understanding and modeling of radio propagation, radio-frequency (RF) power consumption and complexity, and hardware impairments. To achieve this, we present several results across three core areas, i.e., signal propagation and channel modeling, RF transceiver design, and PHY enablers, offering useful insights into the development of sub-THz systems. Lastly, we provide an overview of sub-THz JCAS, emphasizing it as one of the most promising applications in the sub-THz range.
Authors
- Peize Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2944-5973)
- Florian Gast (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4297-7364)
- Rreze Halili (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1094-7751)
- Rafael Berkvens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0064-5020)
- Arto Lehti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3439-1532)
- Katsuyuki Haneda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4778-6405)
- Gerhard Fettweis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4622-1311)
- Hardy Halbauer
- Ramin Khayatzadeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1022-2523)
- Hamed Farhadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9853-2977)
- Henk Wymeersch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1298-6159)
- Claude Desset (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5822-1688)
- Nuutti Tervo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8450-3750)
- Gustavo Rodrigues de Lima Tejerina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7879-0642)
- Pekka Kyösti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3533-9234)
- Rodolphe Legouable
- Ilkka Harjula
- Mar Francis De Guzman
- Oskari Tervo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7266-5752)
- Dileepa Marasinghe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8554-807X)
- Meik Dörpinghaus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1257-0281)
- Le Hang Nguyen
- Sharief Saleh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1365-417X)
- Bo Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4381-6889)
- Italo Atzeni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4363-396X)
- Bruno Jahan
- Hui Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-9966)
- Jean-Marc Conrat
- Kaan Senparlak
Institutions
- Ericsson (Sweden) (SE)
- Orange (France) (FR)
- Vodafone (Germany) (DE)
- Nokia (Finland) (FI)
- IMEC (BE)
- Apple (Germany) (DE)
- Nokia (France) (FR)
- Nokia (Germany) (DE)
- Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- University of Oulu (FI)
- Aalto University (FI)
Publication Details
- Journal
- IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/ojcoms.2025.3591836
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Design
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.92
Funders
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme