As technology evolves, the potential for transformative connectivity is reaching new heights—both figuratively and literally. Emerging innovations like reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are paving the way for smarter, more inclusive networks.
RIS technology enables ordinary surfaces to become active participants in wireless communication, optimizing signal paths and enhancing energy efficiency across smart environments. Meanwhile, HAPS leverages aircraft, blimps, and balloons to deliver mobile network access to underserved areas, bridging connectivity gaps for billions globally.
Together, these technologies offer groundbreaking solutions that could redefine connectivity and accelerate the journey toward a truly interconnected world.
Also Read: The Importance of Spectrum: Trends to Watch in 2024
RIS: A Sustainable Technology Solution
RIS, also known as intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) or software-defined surfaces (SDS), are emerging as transformative tools in the telecommunications landscape. By transforming the physical environment into an adaptable wireless network layer, RIS promises to significantly enhance signal efficiency, coverage, and control over wireless communications. With applications already integrated with 5G and research underway for 6G integration, RIS could soon redefine connectivity standards.
What Are Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces?
Imagine a world where walls, ceilings, and other surfaces are no longer static but instead intelligently shape and optimize wireless signals around us. This is the potential of RIS technology. Built from a matrix of micro-antennas or passive reflecting units, these surfaces manipulate electromagnetic waves, essentially transforming the physical environment into an active part of the wireless infrastructure.
Acting as “smart” mirrors, RIS can direct radio waves intentionally, creating more reliable and robust wireless connectivity without the need for additional power-hungry base stations. Among the key benefits are:
Enhanced Signal Strength and Coverage: By manipulating the behavior of radio waves, RIS technology improves the received signal strength, mitigates interference, and increases the effective channel ranks. This results in a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a reduced bit error rate (BER), ensuring stronger, clearer connections for end-users. Boasting the ability to redirect waves with precision, RIS can improve signal quality in challenging environments, such as urban areas, where interference is common.
Reduced Power Consumption: One of the most appealing aspects of RIS is its low power requirement. Unlike active signal-boosting methods, RIS works passively by reflecting and redirecting signals, which allows network operators to maintain lower power levels at transmitting stations, reducing overall energy consumption. This makes RIS a sustainable choice for expanding network coverage, especially as the world transitions to more eco-friendly technology solutions.
Cost-Effective Coverage Expansion: Traditional methods for expanding network coverage—like building additional base stations—are expensive and resource-intensive. RIS offers an alternative by acting as a low-cost, efficient method to boost signal reach without the need for massive infrastructure investments. This flexibility makes RIS an attractive option for extending network coverage, particularly in areas where installing new base stations may not be feasible or financially viable.
Current RIS Developments
RIS technology is showing promise in 5G mmWave deployment, where it can enhance signal efficiency and coverage, particularly in dense urban environments. In 2023, a study by Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave successfully demonstrated that metamaterial-based RIS modules could improve wireless communication performance, providing a crucial foundation for 6G technology.
As per the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), RIS modules can operate across a broad spectrum—from sub-6 GHz to THz frequencies. With the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), these systems are becoming more adaptable and efficient, and are able to self-optimize based on network conditions.
ZTE is leading the way in RIS innovation with its second-generation RIS product, RIS 2.0, which was released last year. This product, launched at MWC Shanghai, incorporates over 17,000 surface elements and offers improvements in cost, power consumption, and reliability. The enhanced panel allows for precise beamforming with real-time device tracking, enabling network operators to deliver high-quality connectivity across diverse frequency bands.
Recent research by institutions like Tohoku University and the University of Nottingham has led to new methods of quantifying RIS performance analytically. Meanwhile, a team at the Beijing Institute of Technology developed a deep learning-based processing method that enhances RIS capabilities in massive MIMO terahertz communication. These advances underscore the potential of RIS technology in future wireless systems, where the ability to adapt to changing conditions will be critical.
The Dark Side of RIS Technology
While RIS holds vast potential, it also presents certain risks. By actively manipulating radio signals, RIS can unintentionally interfere with nearby frequency bands, potentially disrupting other wireless services. Furthermore, because RIS components control wireless channels, they can be vulnerable to malicious tampering. In the wrong hands, a hacked RIS could be used to degrade communications rather than enhance them, posing significant security risks.
Similarly, in a research paper, Yajun Zhao, Chief Engineer, ZTE Corporation, explored the potential risks of deploying RIS in relation to network coexistence challenges. While RIS offers promising control over electromagnetic environments, it may introduce new and severe interference issues that could degrade overall network performance if unaddressed. To tackle these risks, the study proposes a detailed RIS coexistence model and examines two novel RIS design mechanisms: a multilayer structure with an out-of-band filter and a RIS blocking mechanism. These innovations aim to mitigate interference, yet Zhao’s research underscores that RIS deployment risks persist, posing challenges to seamless RIS integration in intelligent network environments.
To further address these concerns, industry experts stress the importance of stringent regulation, standardization, and security protocols. Ensuring that RIS hardware and software are designed with robust security features will be essential as the technology progresses toward mainstream adoption.
HAPS: Bridging the Connectivity Gap
HAPS are unmanned aerial systems operating in the stratosphere, typically around 20 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Studies on HAPS were conducted by the ITU as early as the mid-1990s; however, recent technological advancements have spurred renewed interest in, and feasibility for, these systems.
Improved solar panel efficiency, higher-density batteries, lightweight materials, autonomous avionics, and advanced antennas make HAPS a promising solution for bridging the connectivity gap between terrestrial and satellite systems.
Interesting Read: Connectivity in Space: LEO Satellites Help Bridge the Digital Divide
Key Use Cases and Benefits of HAPS
HAPS offer unique advantages that make them suitable for a variety of applications. By occupying an elevated position between terrestrial networks and satellites, they can provide connectivity across expansive areas, including remote islands, isolated rural regions, and under-served urban zones. This capability is particularly valuable for improving internet access, supporting disaster recovery, and aiding in environmental monitoring.
For instance, AALTO HAPS’s Zephyr has demonstrated the ability to provide direct-to-device 5G coverage, functioning like a “tower in the sky” that replaces hundreds of traditional ground-based towers, offering low-latency connections in areas where traditional infrastructure is not feasible.
The sustainable nature of HAPS, combined with its ability to support broadband services and IoT applications, aligns with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, which promotes industry, innovation, and infrastructure. By facilitating better access to communication technologies, HAPS contribute to several other SDGs, enhancing digital inclusion in areas that were previously hard to reach.
Market Potential and Industry Investment
According to NSR’s High Altitude Platform report, the market opportunity for HAPS could reach nearly USD 4 billion, covering manufacturing for communication and remote sensing applications. Service-based revenues are expected to add another USD 1.1 billion.
Regions such as Latin America and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) are seeing rapid growth in HAPS in-service units, with projected annual growth rates of 28.9% and 29.5%, respectively. This growth reflects HAPS’s role as a viable alternative to traditional terrestrial and satellite systems in areas with sparse infrastructure.
Recent developments in the region demonstrate the growing interest and investment in HAPS deployments. These include the first HAPS flights in the UAE and strategic partnerships to progress the development of private networks, IoT applications, disaster management solutions, environmental monitoring and Earth observation, among other use cases.
Moreover, industry alliances are advancing the deployment of HAPS for 5G networks. UK-based Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), in partnership with Deutsche Telekom, tested 5G coverage from the stratosphere over a 450-kilometer area in Saudi Arabia. The success of such trials reveals the potential of HAPS to complement terrestrial infrastructure and deliver high-speed, low-latency mobile internet to a wider audience.
Related: Saudi’s Mawarid Supports HAPS Technology Commercialization
The Road Ahead: Flexible and Scalable HAPS Networks
The HAPS Reference Architecture Series, released in 2024, envisions an integrated network of land, sky, and space assets to achieve seamless connectivity. This model offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, as HAPS networks can be deployed quickly and adjusted as needs evolve. Unlike satellites, HAPS networks provide direct-to-handset performance, achieving latency and speed comparable to traditional terrestrial networks. The architecture can support various setups, from standalone HAPS networks providing connectivity directly to end-users, to wholesale arrangements with terrestrial mobile network operators, allowing adaptable and scalable solutions.
As new development programs and international partnerships emerge, HAPS are likely to become even more sophisticated, with extended operational ranges, higher payload capacities, and greater autonomy. This progress will expand the role of HAPS in both civilian and military contexts, from remote sensing and environmental monitoring to secure communications and disaster response.
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