Near-field communications: characteristics, technologies, and engineering

Yajun ZHAO; Linglong DAI; Jianhua ZHANG; Ran JI; Mengnan JIAN; Hao XUE; Hongkang YU; Yunqi SUN; Yu LU; Zidong WU; Zhuo XU; Jinke LI; Haiyang MIAO; Zhiqiang YUAN; Pan TANG; Jiayu SHEN; Tierui GONG; Haixia LIU; Jiaqi HAN; Qiang FENG; Zhi CHEN; Lingxiang LI; Gang YANG; Yong ZENG; Cunhua PAN; Wang LIU; Kangda ZHI; Weidong HU; Yuanwei LIU; Xidong MU; Chau YUEN; Mérouane DEBBAH; Chongwen HUANG; Long LI; Ping ZHANG

doi:10.1631/FITEE.2400576

Front. Inform. Technol. Electron. Eng ›› 2024, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (12) : 1580 -1626. DOI: 10.1631/FITEE.2400576

Review

Near-field communications: characteristics, technologies, and engineering

Yajun ZHAO ¹^,²
, Linglong DAI ³^,^†
, Jianhua ZHANG ⁴^,^†
, Ran JI ⁵
, Mengnan JIAN ¹^,²
, Hao XUE ⁶^,⁷
, Hongkang YU ¹^,²
, Yunqi SUN ¹^,²
, Yu LU ³
, Zidong WU ³
, Zhuo XU ³
, Jinke LI ³
, Haiyang MIAO ⁴
, Zhiqiang YUAN ⁴
, Pan TANG ⁴
, Jiayu SHEN ⁵
, Tierui GONG ⁵
, Haixia LIU ⁶^,⁷
, Jiaqi HAN ⁶^,⁷
, Qiang FENG ⁶^,⁷
, Zhi CHEN ⁸
, Lingxiang LI ⁸
, Gang YANG ⁸
, Yong ZENG ⁹^,¹⁰
, Cunhua PAN ⁹
, Wang LIU ⁹
, Kangda ZHI ¹¹
, Weidong HU ¹²
, Yuanwei LIU ¹³
, Xidong MU ¹⁴
, Chau YUEN ¹⁵
, Mérouane DEBBAH ¹⁶
, Chongwen HUANG ⁵^,^†
, Long LI ⁶^,⁷^,^†
, Ping ZHANG ⁴^,^†

Author information +

¹. State Key Laboratory of Mobile Network and Mobile Multimedia Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China

². ZTE Corporation, Beijing 100192, China

³. Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

⁴. State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China

⁵. College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310007, China

⁶. Key Laboratory of High Speed Circuit Design and EMC of Ministry of Education, School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China

⁷. Collaborative Innovation Center of Information Sensing and Understanding, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China

⁸. National Key Laboratory of Wireless Communications, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China

⁹. National Mobile Communications Research Laboratory, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China

¹⁰. Purple Mountain Laboratories, Nanjing 211111, China

¹¹. School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin 10623, Germany

¹². School of Integrated Circuits and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

¹³. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

¹⁴. Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI), School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT3 9DT, UK

¹⁵. School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore

¹⁶. KU 6G Research Center, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

daill@tsinghua.edu.cn

jhzhang@bupt.edu.cn

chongwenhuang@zju.edu.cn

lilong@mail.xidian.edu.cn

pzhang@bupt.edu.cn

Show less

History +

PDF (38142KB)

Abstract

Near-field technology is increasingly recognized due to its transformative potential in communication systems, establishing it as a critical enabler for sixth-generation (6G) telecommunication development. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of recent advancements in near-field technology research. First, we explore the near-field propagation fundamentals by detailing definitions, transmission characteristics, and performance analysis. Next, we investigate various near-field channel models—deterministic, stochastic, and electromagnetic information theory based models, and review the latest progress in near-field channel testing, highlighting practical performance and limitations. With evolving channel models, traditional mechanisms such as channel estimation, beamtraining, and codebook design require redesign and optimization to align with near-field propagation characteristics. We then introduce innovative beam designs enabled by near-field technologies, focusing on non-diffractive beams (such as Bessel and Airy) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams, addressing both hardware architectures and signal processing frameworks, showcasing their revolutionary potential in near-field communication systems. Additionally, we highlight progress in both engineering and standardization, covering the primary 6G spectrum allocation, enabling technologies for near-field propagation, and network deployment strategies. Finally, we conclude by identifying promising future research directions for near-field technology development that could significantly impact system design. This comprehensive review provides a detailed understanding of the current state and potential of near-field technologies.

Keywords

6G / Near-field technology / Channel model / Codebook / Non-diffractive beams / Orbital angular momentum / Engineering and standardization

Cite this article

Download citation ▾

Yajun ZHAO, Linglong DAI, Jianhua ZHANG, Ran JI, Mengnan JIAN, Hao XUE, Hongkang YU, Yunqi SUN, Yu LU, Zidong WU, Zhuo XU, Jinke LI, Haiyang MIAO, Zhiqiang YUAN, Pan TANG, Jiayu SHEN, Tierui GONG, Haixia LIU, Jiaqi HAN, Qiang FENG, Zhi CHEN, Lingxiang LI, Gang YANG, Yong ZENG, Cunhua PAN, Wang LIU, Kangda ZHI, Weidong HU, Yuanwei LIU, Xidong MU, Chau YUEN, Mérouane DEBBAH, Chongwen HUANG, Long LI, Ping ZHANG. Near-field communications: characteristics, technologies, and engineering. Front. Inform. Technol. Electron. Eng, 2024, 25(12): 1580-1626 DOI:10.1631/FITEE.2400576