A Chinese research team has developed an innovative wireless communication technology that simultaneously supports networks ranging from 2G to 6G.
It enables base station miniaturization, reduces power consumption by over tenfold, and provides hardware support for frontier applications such as embodied intelligence and satellite communications, according to a study published in the journal Nature Photonics.
The increasing demand for data communication has driven the rapid evolution of networks, advancing from 2G to 6G. However, each new generation has required specialized, frequency-specific hardware, leading to a stacking approach that has caused significant hardware redundancy and placed a strain on infrastructure.
Chinese Researchers Propose Unified Hardware Platform for All Network Generations
Chinese researchers from Peking University’s School of Electronics have proposed a unified hardware platform to break down barriers between network generations.
In contrast to conventional solutions, the new platform uses light as the medium, modulating wireless signals on optical modules to stably and simultaneously generate massive numbers of wireless channels.
With this groundbreaking platform, the Chinese researchers team has achieved the world’s first parallel support for all generations of wireless communication, from 2G to 6G, on a highly integrated device.
“Networks from 2G to 6G are like different vehicles using separate lanes. Now we’ve unified the lanes, so all vehicles can travel on the same road,” said Chang Lin, a researcher from the School of Electronics.
Based on this technology, the team also developed a structured microwave communication and sensing integrated system. Experiments showed that this system achieves total information transmission speeds 30 times faster than conventional approaches in 6G network communications.
Chinese researchers noted that this new technology is expected to drive massive connectivity for the Internet of Everything, significantly reduce network latency, and bridge the gap between computing power and terminal devices. It can also provide the underlying hardware support for latency-sensitive applications such as AI agents, embodied intelligence, and satellite communications.
