Thursday 06 March 2025
Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in the field of wireless communication, developing a new system that combines reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) with non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technology to improve network performance.
The new system, designed by a team of scientists from various institutions, uses RIS to dynamically adjust the signal reflections and NOMA to allocate power to different users. This combination enables the system to achieve higher spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and overall network performance compared to traditional systems.
To understand how this works, let’s take a closer look at each component. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces are thin, lightweight sheets made of materials that can adjust their reflectivity in real-time. In wireless communication systems, these surfaces can be placed on buildings or other structures to enhance signal reception and transmission.
Non-orthogonal multiple access, on the other hand, is a technology that allows multiple users to share the same frequency band by using different power levels and code rates. This enables more efficient use of spectrum resources and improves overall network capacity.
In this new system, RIS is used to dynamically adjust the signal reflections based on the channel conditions and user requirements. The RIS surface can change its reflectivity in real-time to optimize the signal transmission and reception. NOMA, meanwhile, is used to allocate power to different users based on their channel conditions and quality of service (QoS) requirements.
The combination of RIS and NOMA enables the system to achieve several benefits, including improved spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and overall network performance. Spectral efficiency refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted over a given frequency band. Energy efficiency, on the other hand, refers to the amount of power consumed by the system.
In tests, the new system was able to achieve higher spectral efficiency and energy efficiency compared to traditional systems. For example, in one test, the system was able to transmit 20% more data per unit of time while consuming 30% less power than a traditional system.
The system also demonstrated improved network performance, with reduced interference and increased reliability. This is because the RIS surface can adjust its reflectivity in real-time to optimize signal transmission and reception, reducing interference from other signals.
While this new system shows great promise for improving wireless communication networks, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed before it can be deployed commercially.
Cite this article: “Breakthrough in Wireless Communication: Combining RIS and NOMA Technology”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access, Wireless Communication, Network Performance, Spectral Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Signal Reflections, Power Allocation, Channel Conditions, Quality Of Service
