Global Collaboration Initiative:RIS Research and Standardization

On November 9, 2024, the 3rd RIS TECH Forum, hosted by the RIS TECH Alliance (RISTA), was held in Xi’an. With the theme “New Horizons, RIS Empowers 6G”, the forum gathered over 400 experts from China and abroad, including Academician of CAS and Academician of CAE, to discuss the current state and industrial development trends of Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in the 6G era.

During the forum, an “Global Collaboration Initiative: Jointly Promoting 6G RIS Technology Research and Standardization” was issued to colleagues from academia, industry, and research institutions worldwide. The initiative aims to foster a global consensus on advancing research and standardization for RIS technology, striving to drive 6G technological innovation and engineering progress.

Global Collaboration Initiative:

Jointly Promoting 6G RIS Technology Research and Standardization

Dear respected global colleagues in the field of information technologies,

As the 6G era draws closer, the field of wireless communications is witnessing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) technology, as one of the potential enabling technologies for 6G, is increasingly vital to meet the stringent performance requirements of future mobile networks. We deeply understand that in-depth research and standardization of RIS technologies are crucial in driving the advancement of 6G networks.

We call for fully exploration of RIS technology potential in enhancing the performance of 6G networks through systematic study of its key technology aspects. In the meantime, we seek to address a number of challenges it is facing in the context of 6G network applications, thereby providing solid theoretical foundations and key technological support for the future development of 6G. Additionally, we will analyze the application requirements of RIS technology, identify its role in future wireless networks, thus guiding the direction of research and application of RIS technology.

In addition to promoting research on RIS technologies, we also recognize the importance of standardization efforts. Standardization would facilitate the interoperability between different vendors, reduce the threshold and cost of technology applications, and thereby drive the rapid development of RIS technology. We advocate for industry peers to actively participate in the standardization of RIS technologies, jointly formulating globally unified technical standards, and laying a solid foundation for the practical application and industrial development of RIS technology.

We understand that achieving this goal requires a close collaboration between global stakeholders. Therefore, we sincerely invite universities, research institutions, enterprises, and experts from around the world to actively participate in the research and standardization of RIS technologies. Through exchange and cooperation, let us collectively promote innovation and breakthroughs in RIS technology.

In 2025, the 3GPP will officially initiate a research project on 6G, and we are currently in a critical window for selecting 6G technologies. For this reason, we held this grand event. Seizing this opportunity, we issue a call for action to global colleagues in the field of information technologies to jointly promote the research and standardization of RIS technology, aiming to harness global wisdom, to reach consensus, and to drive forward the forefront technological innovation and sustainable development of the global mobile communications industry.

Global Collaboration Initiative

Jointly Promoting 6G RIS Technology Research and Standardization

To collectively advance the thorough research and standardization of RIS technology, we present the following Initiative to our global colleagues in the field of l information technologies.

To achieve this goal, we encourage everyone to:

– Delve into the key requirements and typical application scenarios of RIS technologies according to 6G requirements;

– Develop a comprehensive framework for RIS standardization, including channel models, performance evaluation methodology, transmission and control specifications;

– Actively promote applied research and standardization efforts in RIS technology.

At the operational level, we encourage the following actions:

– Academic collaboration: Encourage experts and scholars worldwide to collaborate actively by establishing technical interest groups, technical promotion committees, etc., within relevant academic organizations. Through organizing seminars, special issues in journals, and dedicated lectures, actively drive the related theoretical and technical research, fostering a global research synergy.

– Industry collaboration: Advocate for industry peers to collaborate utilizing regional standard organizations to research and promote the requirements, scenarios, and candidate solutions and verification of RIS in typical scenarios. Simultaneously, actively promote the standardization of RIS technology within international standardization organizations like 3GPP and ITU, thereby contributing fresh efforts towards the development of globally unified 6G standards.

We have confidence that with the joint efforts from global stakeholders, RIS technology will be posted to achieve significant breakthroughs and advancements, injecting new vigor to the development of 6G mobile communication technologies. We extend a sincere invitation to experts, scholars, industry professionals, and partners worldwide to actively engage in this initiative, working together to propel research and standardization efforts for RIS technology and collectively shaping a promising future in the era of 6G!

The 3rd RIS TECH Forum

Nov. 9, 2024

全球协作倡议：共同推进6G智能超表面技术研究与标准制定

尊敬的全球信息领域同仁：

今年9月，3GPP正式通过了首个6G标准立项，预计将于明年正式启动第一版6G标准研究，6G将从技术预研阶段迈入标准化阶段。智能超表面技术，作为6G潜在关键技术之一，近年来受到业界和学术界的广泛关注，大量测试验证表明，智能超表面具有以低成本、低功耗的方式提升移动通信网络覆盖并赋能网络新范式的能力。面向工程化应用，深入开展6G智能超表面技术研究和标准制定对推动6G网络的发展具有重要意义。

我们期望通过面向多场景工程化应用需求，深入开展智能超表面核心技术攻关与应用示范，充分挖掘智能超表面技术对提升6G网络性能的潜力，攻克其在6G网络工程化应用中的诸多挑战，为未来6G的发展提供坚实的理论依据和技术支撑。

在推动智能超表面技术研究的同时，我们也深知标准化工作的重要性。标准化工作将促进不同厂商之间的互操作，加快基础理论与工程实现的迭代，降低技术应用的门槛和成本，从而推动智能超表面产业的快速发展。我们倡议业界同仁积极参与智能超表面技术的标准化工作，共同制定全球统一的技术标准，为智能超表面技术的落地应用和产业化发展奠定坚实的基础。

我们深知，实现这一目标需要汇聚全球各方的智慧和力量。因此，我们诚挚地邀请世界各国高校、科研机构、企业的专家学者，积极参与到智能超表面技术研究与标准化工作中，通过交流与合作，共同推动智能超表面技术的创新与突破。

2025年，3GPP将正式启动6G研究项目，而当前正值6G技术遴选的关键窗口期，因此我们举办了此次盛会。借此契机，我们向全球信息领域的同仁发出协力推进智能超表面技术研究与标准制定的行动倡议，旨在凝聚全球智慧，达成统一共识，共同推动全球移动通信的前沿技术创新及产业可持续发展。

此次向全球同仁发出的《全球协作倡议：共同推进6G智能超表面技术研究与标准制定》内容如下：

全球协作倡议：共同推进6G智能超表面技术研究与标准制定

为携手推进智能超表面技术的深入研究与标准制定，我们向全球信息领域的相关同仁发出如下倡议。

深入挖掘智能超表面技术的高价值应用场景；
构建完善的智能超表面标准化框架，包括器件与信道模型、传输控制协议等；
积极推进智能超表面技术的工程化应用研究、技术验证与标准化工作。

在行动层面，鼓励大家采取以下措施：

学术方面：鼓励全球范围内的专家学者积极合作，在相关学术组织成立技术推进委员会，通过组织研讨会、专题期刊、专题讲座等方式，积极推动智能超表面理论与技术的研究，形成全球研究合力。
产业方面：倡导业界同仁携手推动智能超表面技术的场景及候选技术方案的研究，并积极推动智能超表面技术在3GPP等国际标准化组织中的6G标准化工作，为制定全球统一的6G标准贡献力量。