Special Session on positioning, sensing, and communications with massive MIMO systems

Organizers:
Prof. Ana Garcia Armada, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and MiFufure Coordinator, Spain
Prof. Elena Simona Lohan, Tampere University, Finladn

Rationale:
Positioning, sensing, and communications with massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems are crucial topics in today’s world due to their transformative impact on various technological and societal domains. Massive MIMO systems significantly improve the capacity and efficiency of wireless communication networks. By utilizing a large number of antennas, these systems can support multiple users simultaneously, leading to higher data rates and more reliable connections. This is essential for meeting the growing demand for high-speed internet and supporting the proliferation of connected devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) era. Accurate positioning and navigation are critical for numerous applications, including autonomous vehicles, drones, and location-based services. Massive MIMO systems enhance the precision of positioning and navigation by leveraging the spatial diversity and high-resolution capabilities of multiple antennas. This leads to more reliable and accurate location information, which is vital for safety and efficiency in transportation and logistics. In addition, sensing technologies are integral to various fields, such as environmental monitoring, healthcare, and security. Massive MIMO systems enable advanced sensing capabilities by providing high-resolution imaging and detection. This is achieved through the use of multiple antennas that can capture detailed information about the environment, leading to improved situational awareness and decision-making processes. Massive MIMO systems are foundational for the development and deployment of next-generation technologies, including 5G and 6G networks. These technologies rely on the high capacity, low latency, and robust performance provided by massive MIMO to deliver new services and applications, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC)

The integration of sensing and communication in massive MIMO systems, often referred to as Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), offers significant benefits. ISAC systems can simultaneously perform communication and sensing tasks, leading to more efficient use of spectrum and resources. This integration is particularly important for emerging applications such as smart cities, where seamless connectivity and real-time monitoring are essential.

Also, the Radio SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is another critical technology that is gaining importance in the context and MIMO and massive MIMO systems. Radio SLAM uses radio signals to simultaneously map an environment and determine the position of a device within that environment; it is sometimes also referred to as Joint Positioning and Sensing (JPAS).

Near-field communications and navigation solutions with massive MIMO are also pivotal for the future of wireless technology. Near-field MIMO systems operate in the region where the wavefronts are spherical rather than planar, which is typically within a few wavelengths of the antenna array. This allows for highly precise beamforming and spatial resolution, enabling more accurate positioning and navigation. Near-field MIMO is particularly relevant for 6G networks, where the increased frequency and larger antenna arrays extend the near-field region to tens or even hundreds of meters. These systems can significantly enhance communication capacity and reliability, support advanced sensing applications, and enable new services such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications and integrated sensing and communication.

To sum up, the advancements in positioning, sensing, and communications with massive MIMO systems have far-reaching economic and societal implications. They enable new business models, enhance productivity, and improve the quality of life by providing better connectivity, safer transportation, and more efficient services. As these technologies continue to evolve, they will play a pivotal role in driving innovation and economic growth and therefore research related to positioning, sensing, and communications with massive MIMO systems is of timely and high relevance in the wireless community.

In this special session, we solicit novel papers related (but not limited to):

  • Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) solutions with massive and ultra-massive MIMO
  • Simultaneous Localization and Mapping/Joint positioning and Sensing solutions with radio signals (Radio SLAM /JPAS)
  • Channel models and estimators for wireless transmissions and receptions with massive MIMO systems using both non-sparse and sparse measurement data
  • Near-field channel models for positioning, communications and sensing
  • Radio resource management and network intelligence processing for communications and sensing
  • Waveform design for joint communications, positioning and sensing
  • Non-coherent approaches for ultra-massive MIMO systems
  • AI/ML-based processing for massive and ultra-massive MIMO systems
  • Joint positioning and spatial resource allocation for cell free systems
  • Research papers related to MiFuture EU project