article · Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks
Sixth-generation wireless networks aim to provide ultra-high data rates, ultra-reliable low-latency connectivity, and intelligent networking. Achieving this requires key enabling technologies including unmanned aerial vehicles, terahertz communications, and intelligent reconfigurable surfaces. Unmanned aerial vehicles offer flexible, on-demand coverage for remote locations, harsh environments, disaster response, self-driving vehicles, and industrial automation. Operating across the 0.1 to 10 terahertz band, terahertz communication provides ultra-high bandwidth and multi-gigabit transmission speeds to overcome spectrum bottlenecks in traditional wireless bands. Simultaneously, intelligent reconfigurable surfaces use programmable metasurfaces to deliver real-time wavefront control, improving signal propagation alongside spectral and energy efficiency in complex environments. Together, these technologies contribute to intelligent and ultra-connected wireless architectures. Understanding their ongoing design challenges, practical integration issues, and architectural evolution informs ongoing research across academia, industry, and telecommunications policy.
Future telecommunications will demand faster speeds, minimal delay, and continuous coverage in difficult environments. Exploring how aerial drones, terahertz frequencies, and programmable surfaces interact provides the technical foundation needed to build faster, more dependable sixth-generation networks. This supports advanced public services, disaster recovery, industrial robotics, and automated transport systems.
The work outlines potential applications in disaster response, autonomous driving, and industrial automation for telecommunications operators, equipment vendors, and industrial enterprises. Because the focus is on an architectural review of ongoing research trends and open design challenges, the combined integration of these technologies appears to be at an early stage of research and development rather than near-market deployment.
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Sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks have the potential to transform global connectivity by supporting ultra-high data rates, ultra-reliable low latency communication (uRLLC), and intelligent, adaptive networking. To realize this vision, 6G must incorporate groundbreaking technologies that enhance network efficiency, spectral utilization, and dynamic adaptability. Among them, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), terahertz (THz) communication, and intelligent reconfigurable surfaces (IRSs) are three major enablers in redefining the architecture and performance of next-generation wireless systems. This survey provides a comprehensive review of these transformative technologies, exploring their potential, design challenges, and integration into future 6G ecosystems. UAV-based communication provides flexible, on-demand communication in remote, harsh areas and is a vital solution for disasters, self-driving, and industrial automation. THz communication taking place in the 0.1–10 THz band reveals ultra-high bandwidth capable of a data rate of multi-gigabits per second and can avoid spectrum bottlenecks in conventional bands. IRS technology based on programmable metasurface allows real-time wavefront control, maximizing signal propagation and spectral/energy efficiency in complex settings. The work provides architectural evolution, active current research trends, and practical issues in applying these technologies, including their potential contribution to the creation of intelligent, ultra-connected 6G networks. In addition, it presents open research questions, possible answers, and future directions and provides information for academia, industry, and policymakers.
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DOI: 10.3390/jsan14020030
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