Corresponding Author Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for Energy-Efficient 6G Networks: Design, Optimization, and Applications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62051/7x57v721Keywords:
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, Energy Efficiency, 6G Networks, Hybrid RIS, Smart Cities.Abstract
Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is introduced as a new technology promising to revolutionize the wireless communication networks, especially for the next generation (6G), due to the fact that RIS can dynamically regulate electromagnetic waves propagation, potentially leading to vast performance improvement and energy-saving. This paper explores the capability of RIS to enhance communication systems in terms of their energy efficiency and signal quality. By incorporating passive, active, and hybrid RIS architectures, the work analyzes their effect on energy efficiency and network throughput. The experimental tests and simulations demonstrate that RIS can offer significant performance gains by mitigating the reliance on legacy high-power base stations and providing improved coverage, especially in critical areas, including urban and complex indoor environments. Moreover, RIS serves to mitigate the scalability issue and cut down the deployment cost, rendering it applicable in the future wireless networks. It also discusses essential engineering problems such as hardware restrictions, synchronization and real-time control. In the future, we expect that metasurfaces, full-duplex RIS, and advanced optimization algorithms powered by AI motivation would be developed to further extend the capabilities of RIS. In conclusion, RIS is a promising technology to shape the future development of 6G networks, enabling more efficient and reliable communication systems.
Downloads
References
[1] Basharat, S., Hassan, S. A., Pervaiz, H., Mahmood, A., Ding, Z., & Gidlund, M. (2021). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces: Potentials, applications, and challenges for 6G wireless networks. IEEE Wireless Communications, 28(6), 184-191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MWC.011.2100016
[2] Chen, Z., Chen, G., Tang, J., Zhang, S., So, D. K., Dobre, O. A., ... & Chambers, J. (2022). Reconfigurable-intelligent-surface-assisted B5G/6G wireless communications: Challenges, solution, and future opportunities. IEEE Communications Magazine, 61(1), 16-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MCOM.002.2200047
[3] Naeem, F., Ali, M., Kaddoum, G., Huang, C., & Yuen, C. (2023). Security and privacy for reconfigurable intelligent surface in 6G: A review of prospective applications and challenges. IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, 4, 1196-1217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCOMS.2023.3273507
[4] Ntontin, K., Boulogeorgos, A. A. A., Abadal, S., Mesodiakaki, A., Chatzinotas, S., & Ottersten, B. (2024). Perpetual reconfigurable intelligent surfaces through in-band energy harvesting: Architectures, protocols, and challenges. IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, 19(1), 36-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MVT.2023.3344994
[5] Basar, E., Alexandropoulos, G. C., Liu, Y., Wu, Q., Jin, S., Yuen, C., ... & Schober, R. (2024). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for 6G: Emerging hardware architectures, applications, and open challenges. IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MVT.2024.3415570
[6] Parambath, A. V., Flordelis, J., Madapatha, C., Rusek, F., Bengtsson, E., & Svensson, T. (2024, October). Integrating reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (riss) into indoor d-mimo networks for 6G. In 2024 IEEE 100th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2024-Fall) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/VTC2024-Fall63153.2024.10757793
[7] Umer, A., Müürsepp, I., Alam, M. M., & Wymeersch, H. (2025). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces in 6g radio localization: A survey of recent developments, opportunities, and challenges. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2025.3536517
[8] Worka, C. E., Khan, F. A., Ahmed, Q. Z., Sureephong, P., & Alade, T. (2024). Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS)-Assisted Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN)-Based 6G Communications: A Contemporary Survey. Sensors, 24(21), 6958. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s24216958
[9] Fotock, R. K., Zappone, A., & Di Renzo, M. (2023). Energy efficiency optimization in RIS-aided wireless networks: Active versus nearly-passive RIS with global reflection constraints. IEEE Transactions on Communications, 72(1), 257-272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TCOMM.2023.3320700
[10] Li, Z., Zhang, J., Zhu, J., & Dai, L. (2023, June). RIS energy efficiency optimization with practical power models. In 2023 International Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (IWCMC) (pp. 1172-1177). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IWCMC58020.2023.10183034
[11] Khan, W. U., Lagunas, E., Mahmood, A., Chatzinotas, S., & Ottersten, B. (2023, June). Energy-efficient RIS-enabled NOMA communication for 6G LEO satellite networks. In 2023 IEEE 97th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2023-Spring) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/VTC2023-Spring57618.2023.10200793
[12] Jia, D., Zhong, Y., Zhou, X., Xu, A., & Zhao, M. (2024, April). Energy Efficiency in RIS-Assisted Wireless Networks: Impact of Phase Shift and Deployment. In 2024 IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/WCNC57260.2024.10571122
[13] Sharma, N., & Gautam, S. (2023, June). Optimizing RIS-assisted wireless communication systems with non-linear energy harvesting. In 2023 5th International Conference on Energy, Power and Environment: Towards Flexible Green Energy Technologies (ICEPE) (pp. 1-5). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEPE57949.2023.10201582
[14] Huang, C., Zappone, A., Alexandropoulos, G. C., Debbah, M., & Yuen, C. (2019). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for energy efficiency in wireless communication. IEEE transactions on wireless communications, 18(8), 4157-4170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TWC.2019.2922609
[15] Deshpande, A. A., Vaca-Rubio, C. J., Mohebi, S., Salami, D., De Carvalho, E., Popovski, P., ... & Zanella, A. (2022, June). Energy-Efficient Design for RIS-assisted UAV communications in beyond-5G Networks. In 2022 20th Mediterranean Communication and Computer Networking Conference (MedComNet) (pp. 158-165). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MedComNet55087.2022.9810453
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Transactions on Computer Science and Intelligent Systems Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
