Keysight, NTT DOCOMO, and NTT Collaborate on 6G Wireless Channel Modeling

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Keysight Technologies, Inc. is collaborating with NTT DOCOMO, Inc. and NTT, Inc. to accelerate realistic 6G channel modeling and wireless communication simulation. The work is part of the companies’ ongoing memorandum of understanding (MoU) focused on 6G wireless communications design, testing, and measurement technologies. Initial milestones include progress in measurement‑driven channel modeling and distributed Multiple‑Input Multiple‑Output (MIMO) simulation, helping researchers evaluate next‑generation wireless concepts with greater confidence.

As 6G research progresses, the industry is placing greater emphasis on understanding how wireless systems perform in complex real-world environments, including urban areas, indoor venues, and transportation corridors. Accurately reproducing these conditions remains challenging. Field testing can be expensive and difficult to repeat, while simplified lab models may not fully capture propagation effects that influence beamforming, mobility, and reliability. More realistic channel modeling and scalable simulation are becoming increasingly important for evaluating next-generation wireless architectures with greater confidence before deployment.

In the collaboration, Keysight and DOCOMO are refining channel models using real‑world radio propagation measurements, including channel impulse response (CIR) data, to better represent complex environments in laboratory-based wireless simulation. At the same time, Keysight and NTT are advancing the simulation-based evaluation of distributed MIMO systems, where geographically distributed antennas cooperate to improve coverage, capacity, and reliability. By combining high‑fidelity channel models with advanced ray‑based propagation techniques, the teams aim to support more scalable and repeatable evaluation of next-generation 6G architectures. Initial results will be presented at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 in Malaga, Spain.

Peng Cao, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Test Group, Keysight, said: “Keysight is helping the 6G ecosystem accelerate innovation with greater confidence. By combining real‑world measurement data with advanced modeling and simulation, this collaboration enables more repeatable validation of next‑generation architectures and helps reduce the risk of transitioning from research to deployment.”