Samsung Pushes Boundaries of 6G MIMO

At MWC 2025 in Barcelona, Samsung showcased how it envisions the role of massive multi-antenna systems in 6G. On display were cutting-edge radio units that push antenna counts and operating frequencies well beyond what has been deployed for 5G today. The company presented a 128TR prototype operating in the 6.9–7.3 GHz band and a 256TR version in the 12.75–13.25 GHz band, both hinting at what ultra-high-capacity 6G deployments may look like in practice.

These prototypes reflect more than just raw antenna scaling. They are early illustrations of how Samsung is aligning hardware advances with network intelligence to solve some of the toughest challenges in radio design. The leap from 5G to 6G is not simply about squeezing more throughput; it is about achieving higher performance while simultaneously addressing energy efficiency, complexity, and scalability.

From 5G Massive MIMO to 6G Evolution

Massive MIMO was one of the most important enablers of 5G capacity, introducing multi-user MIMO and beamforming across dozens of antenna elements. However, 5G deployments have exposed bottlenecks. Power consumption increases rapidly with antenna count, each RF chain adds cost and heat, and reference signalling overhead grows as networks become more dense and dynamic. Scaling to hundreds of elements at higher frequency bands risks amplifying these issues unless new techniques are introduced.

Samsung’s 6G research highlights two central paths forward. The first is improving the physical layer through energy-aware operation. For example, adaptive RF chain activation allows radios to switch off unused chains when traffic demand is low. Multi-TRP coherent joint transmission enables several transmission points to serve a user jointly, enhancing coverage at cell edges while making more efficient use of power. Reduction of reference signals cuts unnecessary overhead, saving energy without compromising channel state awareness.

The second is the integration of AI into MIMO operations. Traditional channel feedback and beam management create substantial signalling burdens, particularly in distributed MIMO or higher-frequency systems. AI can compress channel feedback, predict optimal beams, and optimise scheduling across users and cells. This reduces latency and overhead while maintaining or even enhancing throughput. AI-assisted beam prediction, in particular, is likely to become a cornerstone of dense 6G deployments where mobility and multi-cell coordination are critical.

Partnerships to Accelerate Development

Samsung has also expanded its collaborative research to accelerate the maturation of these ideas. In February 2025, it signed a memorandum of understanding with KDDI Research to advance AI-driven distributed MIMO. Unlike classical massive MIMO, which concentrates antennas within a single site, distributed MIMO spans multiple base stations. This has significant advantages in improving user experience at coverage boundaries and in delivering more uniform capacity across the cell. By embedding AI into distributed MIMO operation, Samsung and KDDI aim to enhance joint processing, minimise interference, and make real-time adjustments to network load.

The following month, Samsung announced a collaboration with KT Corporation focused on eXtreme MIMO. Operating at bands such as 7 GHz, where propagation loss is much higher than mid-band frequencies used in 5G, eXtreme MIMO envisions antenna densities far beyond what has been deployed today. Large-scale beamforming and multi-spatial transmission will be required to overcome coverage challenges while still maintaining user throughput. AI is expected to play an equally important role here, providing adaptive management of beams and layers in conditions where conventional algorithms may not cope.

A Holistic View of 6G MIMO

What emerges from Samsung’s approach is a holistic vision that spans hardware, algorithms, and real-world deployment strategies. The 128TR and 256TR radios shown in Barcelona give a glimpse of the physical systems that will underpin future 6G networks. Yet the company is also clear that without smarter management, simply scaling antenna counts will not deliver sustainable or cost-effective networks.

By tying together hardware advances with AI-driven optimisation, energy-efficient signalling, and strong industry partnerships, Samsung is positioning itself as a leading voice in how MIMO will evolve into 6G. These directions will likely influence upcoming standardisation efforts as the telecoms community works towards building networks that are not only faster and more capable but also more sustainable and adaptable.

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