Integrating Mediumband with Emerging Technologies: Unified Vision for 6G and Beyond Physical Layer

Abstract

In this paper, we present a vision for the physical layer of 6G and beyond, where emerging physical layer technologies integrate to drive wireless links toward mediumband operation, addressing a major challenge: deep fading, a prevalent, and perhaps the most consequential, obstacle in wireless communication link performance. By leveraging recent insights into wireless channel fundamentals and advancements in computing, multi-modal sensing, and AI, we articulate how reflecting surfaces (RS), sensing, digital twins (DTs), ray-tracing, and AI can work synergistically to lift the burden of deep fading in future wireless communication networks. This refreshingly new approach promises transformative improvements in reliability, spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and network resilience, positioning 6G for truly superior performance.