Near-Field Challenges in Ultra-Wideband ISAC: Beamforming Strategies and System Insights

The shift toward sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks places integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) at the core of future applications such as autonomous driving, extended reality, and smart manufacturing. However, the combination of large antenna arrays and ultra-wide bandwidths brings near-field propagation effects and beam squint to the forefront, fundamentally challenging traditional far-field designs. True time delay units (TTDs) offer a potential solution, but their cost and hardware complexity limit scalability. In this article, we present practical beamforming strategies for near-field ultra-wideband ISAC systems. We explore codebook designs across analog and digital domains that mitigate beam squint, ensure reliable user coverage, and enhance sensing accuracy. We further validate these approaches through large-scale system-level simulations, including 3D map-based evaluations that reflect real-world urban environments. Our results demonstrate how carefully designed beamforming can balance communication throughput with sensing performance, achieving reliable coverage and efficient resource use even under severe near-field conditions. We conclude by highlighting open challenges in hardware, algorithms, and system integration, pointing toward research directions that will shape the deployment of 6G-ready ISAC networks.

Low Complexity Frequency Domain Nonlinear Self-Interference Cancellation for Flexible Duplex

Nonlinear self-interference (SI) cancellation is essential for mitigating the impact of transmitter-side nonlinearity on overall SI cancellation performance in flexible duplex systems, including in-band full-duplex (IBFD) and sub-band full-duplex (SBFD). Digital SI cancellation (SIC) must address the nonlinearity in the power amplifier (PA) and the in-phase/quadrature-phase (IQ) imbalance from up/down converters at the base station (BS), in addition to analog SIC. In environments with rich signal reflection paths, however, the required number of delayed taps for time-domain nonlinear SI cancellation increases exponentially with the number of multipaths, leading to excessive complexity. This paper introduces a novel, low-complexity, frequency domain nonlinear SIC, suitable for flexible duplex systems with multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) configurations. The key approach involves decomposing nonlinear SI into a nonlinear basis and categorizing them based on their effectiveness across any flexible duplex setting. The proposed algorithm is founded on our analytical results of intermodulation distortion (IMD) in the frequency domain and utilizes a specialized pilot sequence. This algorithm is directly applicable to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multi-carrier systems and offers lower complexity than conventional digital SIC methods. Additionally, we assess the impact of the proposed SIC on flexible duplex systems through system-level simulation (SLS) using 3D ray-tracing and proof-of-concept (PoC) measurement.

Bridging Neural Networks and Wireless Systems with MIMO-OFDM Semantic Communications

Semantic communications aim to enhance transmission efficiency by jointly optimizing source coding, channel coding, and modulation. While prior research has demonstrated promising performance in simulations, real-world implementations often face significant challenges, including noise variability and nonlinear distortions, leading to performance gaps. This article investigates these challenges in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based semantic communication system, focusing on the practical impacts of power amplifier (PA) nonlinearity and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) variations. Our analysis identifies frequency selectivity of the actual channel as a critical factor in performance degradation and demonstrates that targeted mitigation strategies can enable semantic systems to approach theoretical performance. By addressing key limitations in existing designs, we provide actionable insights for advancing semantic communications in practical wireless environments. This work establishes a foundation for bridging the gap between theoretical models and real-world deployment, highlighting essential considerations for system design and optimization.

A State-of-the-art Survey on Full-duplex Network Design

Full-duplex (FD) technology is gaining popularity for integration into a wide range of wireless networks due to its demonstrated potential in recent studies. In contrast to half-duplex (HD) technology, the implementation of FD in networks necessitates considering inter-node interference (INI) from various network perspectives. When deploying FD technology in networks, several critical factors must be taken into account. These include self-interference (SI) and the requisite SI cancellation (SIC) processes, as well as the selection of multiple user equipment (UE) per time slot. Additionally, inter-node interference (INI), including cross-link interference (CLI) and inter-cell interference (ICI), become crucial issues during concurrent uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) transmission and reception, similar to SI. Since most INI is challenging to eliminate, a comprehensive investigation that covers radio resource control (RRC), medium access control (MAC), and the physical layer (PHY) is essential in the context of FD network design, rather than focusing on individual network layers and types. This paper covers state-of-the-art studies, including protocols and documents from 3GPP for FD, MAC protocol, user scheduling, and CLI handling. The methods are also compared through a network-level system simulation based on 3D ray-tracing.