Scientists at Lund University in Sweden have taken a major step toward the next generation of wireless communication.
They have built one of the world’s most advanced testing systems for future mobile networks and, for the first time, shown that a distributed wireless network using 256 digitally controlled antennas can work in real time.
The achievement could help shape future 6G technology, which is expected to provide faster speeds, better reliability, and greater capacity than today’s 5G networks.
The research team, based at the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), developed a system called the Lund University Large Intelligent Surface, or LuLIS. It is designed to test new ways of sending and receiving wireless signals more efficiently.
Doctoral student Dumitra Iancu said the team successfully demonstrated that 256 antennas placed in different locations could work together as a single coordinated system.
The signals and data were managed at the same time, proving that the technology can operate in real-world conditions rather than only in computer simulations.
The need for better wireless communication continues to grow. More people are using the internet every day, while industries are becoming increasingly digital.
Technologies such as self-driving vehicles, smart factories, and connected public services all require fast, stable, and secure wireless networks.
One of the biggest challenges is that the radio spectrum, which carries wireless signals, is limited. As more devices compete for the same frequencies, engineers must find smarter ways to use this valuable resource.
Professor Ove Edfors explained that the new testing system allows researchers to study how existing radio frequencies can be used more efficiently. This could support many more users while increasing the overall capacity of future wireless networks.
The LuLIS system is made up of 16 programmable panels, with each panel containing 16 antennas, giving a total of 256 antennas. The system uses specialized hardware from AMD and has a modular design, meaning new panels and components can easily be added in the future.
Unlike traditional communication systems that depend heavily on fixed hardware, LuLIS is mainly controlled by software. This makes it much easier for researchers to change how data is transmitted without replacing expensive equipment.
According to doctoral student Lina Tinnerberg, this flexibility allows the team to quickly test new communication methods as technology evolves.
Building a real-world testing platform also helps researchers discover practical problems that may not appear in theoretical studies. Professor Liang Liu said the team has already solved difficult issues involving signal synchronization and the sharing of computing tasks across the antenna network.
The Lund researchers are no strangers to wireless communication breakthroughs. About ten years ago, they created LuMaMi, one of the world’s first practical demonstrations of massive MIMO technology. Massive MIMO uses many antennas to send and receive data at the same time and has since become a key part of modern 5G networks.
LuMaMi still holds the world record for spectral efficiency, achieved together with the University of Bristol, by serving 22 users simultaneously on the same frequency.
Now the researchers hope LuLIS will go even further. The new system is expected to support 32 users in the near future, and the team ultimately aims to increase that performance by ten times. If successful, the technology could play an important role in building faster, smarter, and more reliable 6G networks for the future.
