To further exploit the huge potential of 5G, the wireless industry has continued to develop the standard up to Release 16, and development continues. But technology does not stand still, and even as 5G presses forward, a new generation of cellular technology is emerging. Cutting-edge 6G research is already underway at communications equipment manufacturers and research institutions, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) is a major area of interest in 6G research. Rohde & Schwarz, with Tsinghua University and Actenna Technology, recently completed an evaluation and trial of RIS technology to comprehensively evaluate the effects and performance of RIS deployment.
RIS can be programme to modulate the phase of electromagnetic waves and reflect signals into blind spots, enhancing coverage and improving user experience. The low cost, low energy consumption and easy deployment, of RIS have attracted broad interest in 6G research and made it a popular candidate technology. The technical trial mainly evaluated the deployment effects and performance of sub6 GHz RIS and mmWave RIS in different indoor and outdoor scenarios. The tests modelled deployment conditions with and without RIS, different incidence and reflection angles, different deployment distances, etc. Recorded performance index parameters included RSRP, throughput and others. The trial participants complemented each other’s strengths and worked together to carry out several RIS test projects yielding hard data that makes a strong argument in favour of continued RIS technology development.
The RIS verification environment was divided into indoor testing and outdoor testing.