Guest Editorial Beyond Shannon Communications—A Paradigm Shift to Catalyze 6G

Targeting ultra-reliable and scalable connectivity of extremely high data rates, in the 100 Gbps to Tbps range, at almost “zero-latency” in 6G systems would require taking advantage of breakthrough novel technology concepts, including THz wireless links, broadband and spectrally efficient RF-frontends for a variety of different bands, the employment of intelligent materials (e.g., reconfigurable intelligent surfaces) and the design of machine learning-based models, protocols, and management techniques. To materialize the 6G vision, novel system techniques will need to be devised, including channel modeling and estimation, waveforms, beamforming, and multiple-access schemes, all tailored to the particularities of the adopted breakthrough technologies. As challenging Tbit/s usage scenarios are becoming ever more relevant for 6G systems, including non-line of sight connectivity based on intelligent surfaces and ad hoc connectivity in fast-moving network topologies, e.g., based on drones or V2X links, performance targets need to be reassessed. In such scenarios, apart from the high data rates in the order of Tbit/s other critical parameters may arise as more relevant: range, reliability, adaptability, reconfigurability, and agility, to name just a few.