Millimeter Wave Communication Techniques in Wireless Mobile Networks
Summary
Millimetre-wave (mmWave) communication exploits the 30–300 GHz spectrum to deliver multi-gigabit-per-second data rates and ultra-low latency capable of supporting enhanced mobile broadband, vehicle-to-everything connectivity and immersive applications. The short wavelengths permit compact, high-gain antenna arrays enabling beamforming and massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques that focus energy towards intended receivers, thereby offsetting the pronounced free-space path loss and dynamic blockage by buildings, foliage or human bodies. Hybrid analogue-digital precoding architectures balance hardware complexity and spectral efficiency, while accurate channel modelling—encompassing line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight paths, scattering clusters and atmospheric absorption—guides system design and deployment. Emerging strategies such as multi-connectivity, device-to-device relaying and reflective intelligent surfaces extend coverage and reliability in urban canyons and indoor environments. Protocol-level innovations address fast beam tracking, handover procedures and resource allocation to sustain seamless connectivity under mobility. Regulatory studies ensure coexistence with satellite and radar services, and spectrum sharing frameworks facilitate efficient use of underutilised bands. Collectively, these advances pave the way for 5G New Radio and future 6G sub-terahertz systems, establishing robust, high-capacity wireless infrastructures that capitalise on mmWave’s unique propagation characteristics.
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Millimeter Wave Communication Techniques in Wireless Mobile Networks publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in millimeter wave communication techniques in wireless mobile networks across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Millimetre-wave (mmWave): Radio frequencies between 30 GHz and 300 GHz offering wide bandwidth but high path loss and sensitivity to blockage.
Beamforming: Antenna array technique that directs signal energy along narrow beams to improve link budget and reduce interference.
Massive MIMO: Deployment of large numbers of transmit and receive antennas to exploit spatial multiplexing and diversity gains.
Hybrid precoding: Combined analogue and digital signal processing approach that reduces hardware cost while achieving near-optimal beam steering.
Reflective intelligent surface (RIS): Metasurface engineered to controllably reflect and shape incident mmWave signals to enhance coverage and signal quality.
Multi-connectivity: Simultaneous association of a user device with multiple base stations or radio access technologies to improve reliability and mobility performance.
References
- Models, Methods, and Solutions for Multicasting in 5G/6G mmWave and Sub-THz Systems. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2023).
- A Tutorial on Mathematical Modeling of 5G/6G Millimeter Wave and Terahertz Cellular Systems. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2022).
- The Impact of Multi-Connectivity and Handover Constraints on Millimeter Wave and Terahertz Cellular Networks. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (2021).
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