Rethinking the device in 6G

This white paper examines why the conventional smartphone is becoming a limiting factor in the delivery of 6G, particularly for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity. It explains how declining antenna efficiency, crowded RF front-ends, regulatory constraints and inflexible chipset architectures weaken device performance—forcing terrestrial and satellite networks to compensate through greater power, infrastructure and cost. The paper proposes a role-based device ecosystem in which smartphones are complemented by specialised terminals, wearables, vehicles, drones and relays with stronger RF capabilities. It also makes the case for adaptable RF architectures and programmable, partially disaggregated PHY processing to enable more efficient, resilient and commercially viable 6G services.

Key themes:

• Why NTN link budgets expose the RF limitations of modern smartphones
• The need for specialised, role-based devices with improved antenna performance
• How flexible RF systems and software-defined PHY processing could support evolving 6G requirements