It is true, many still do not have access to 5G networks and 6G is already being worked on! Such a scenario is a natural process of technology, which in this case is being worked on for 10 years! Portuguese researchers are leading a project on technologies for 6G.
TERRAMETA Project : innovative technologies for 6G
The project is being developed by researchers at the Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science (INESC TEC). It is funded with 6.3 million euros and aims to develop innovative technologies for the sixth generation of mobile communications.
This project, named TERRAMETA, will investigate innovative technologies for 6G and support the digital transition process of the Portuguese business ecosystem, through the demonstration of “THz [terahertz] reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS)”.
According to INESC TEC‘s communiqué…
As the digital transition advances, the inability to ensure that current wireless technologies meet the data rate and latency requirements appropriate to the needs of enterprises and institutions is increasingly uncovered
This project brings together 12 European partners and provides for tests in telecommunications scenarios.
INESC TEC researcher Luís Pessoa says that “we intend to demonstrate the feasibility of high-speed wireless networks supported by reconfigurable smart surfaces, exploring frequencies between 100 GHz and 300 GHz, which is completely aligned with the trends identified for 6G”.
According to Luís Pessoa, it is expected that “the reconfigurable smart surfaces will, in the near future, revolutionize wireless communications, since the communications channel will also be controllable”. “Imagine that in the future all surfaces that surround us in our daily lives, from floors to walls and ceilings, will become intelligent, with computing and sensing capabilities and supporting communications,” he adds.
“The TERRAMETA THz network will innovatively allow us to circumvent the problem of obstacles that prevent obtaining the necessary line of sight to enable a wireless THz connection between two points,” the researcher adds.
The TERRAMETA project started in 2023 and will run for three years.
