6G Hardware Enablers for Cell Free Coherent
Communications and Sensing

6G-REFERENCE envisions a future where urban areas are equipped with sustainable solutions
that can cope with the ever-increasing traffic demands and population densification, while
providing disruptive capabilities like the materialization of the internet of sense.

6G-REFERENCE will:

DEVELOP

Develop integrated circuit and antenna component solutions, including dynamic frequency filtering and modulated radiation, to enable efficient spectrum coexistence schemes.

DEVELOP

Develop integrated circuit and antenna component solutions, including dynamic frequency filtering and modulated radiation, to enable efficient spectrum coexistence schemes.

DEPLOY

Deploy practical hardware enablers in terms of low complexity, cost and power consumption that could end up constituting a reference design for future 6G-distributed radios.

DEPLOY

Deploy practical hardware enablers in terms of low complexity, cost and power consumption that could end up constituting a reference design for future 6G-distributed radios.

Objectives

6G-REFERENCE will develop hardware enablers constituting a reference design of distributed
radios for a cell-free communication and sensing system operating in the 10-15 GHz range.

The project targets low complexity and low power, in other words, practical integrated circuits
(IC) and antenna systems for 6G applications. It aims at enabling new functionalities addressing D-MIMO communication scenarios but extended to support distributed sensing and accurate localization and positioning.

Objectives

6G-REFERENCE will develop hardware enablers constituting a reference design of distributed
radios for a cell-free communication and sensing system operating in the 10-15 GHz range.

The project targets low complexity and low power, in other words, practical integrated circuits
(IC) and antenna systems for 6G applications. It aims at enabling new functionalities addressing D-MIMO communication scenarios but extended to support distributed sensing and accurate localization and positioning.

Challenges

Accurate
synchronization
among distributed
radio units (cell-free
deployments)

Fronthaul data distribution

Integration of sensing capabilities

Low complexity/cost/
consumption radios

Coexistence with
other services

Methodology

Explore radio system
operation in the
10-15GHz range

Develop hardware
concepts and show
feasibility in CMOS

Use additive
manufacturing for
antenna arrays and
nanotechnology for
sensors

6G-REFERENCE Participates in Joint 6G-IA and 5G-ACIA Webinar on ISAC/JCAS: Key Takeaways and Future Directions

On 10 October 2025, 6G-REFERENCE joined over 95 participants in the insightful webinar “6G-IA & 5G-ACIA Highlights, Lessons Learnt and Next Steps on ISAC/JCAS”, co-organised by the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and the 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACIA), with the support of the SNS CO-OP project. The event...

Three 6G-REFERENCE Partners Showcase Pioneering Research at European Microwave Week 2025 in Utrecht

The 6G-REFERENCE project attended the European Microwave Week (EuMW) 2025, held from 21–26 September at the Jaarbeurs Convention Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to present three scientific papers co-authored by several of our partners. As Europe’s premier event in microwave, Radio Frequency (RF), and wireless technologies, EuMW attracted over 1,600 delegates and 1,400 visitors from...

6G‑REFERENCE Showcases Vision for Integrated Sensing and Communications at URSI 2025 in Tarragona

From 3-5 September, the 6G‑REFERENCE project participated in URSI 2025 (XL Simposio Nacional de la Unión Científica Internacional de Radio), held in the Spanish city of Tarragona, organised by Universitat Rovira i Virgili. The project hosted a special session on “6G Systems and Integration of Communications and Sensing” on 3 September, chaired by researchers from...

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