W17 – Near-Field Communications, Localization, and Sensing for 6G and Beyond

Co-organizer: Emil Björnson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Co-organizer: Özlem Tuğfe Demir, Bilkent University, Turkey
Co-organizer: Mustafa Ozger,  Aalborg University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Denmark
Co-organizer: Ferdi Kara, Ericsson AB, Sweden

Abstract: The emergence of 6G is changing the way wireless systems are designed. Extremely large antenna arrays, operation in mmWave and THz bands, and AI-native transceivers move practical systems into the near-field region, where traditional far-field assumptions no longer apply. In this regime, signals follow spherical wavefronts and depend strongly on both distance and angle, creating new opportunities to design systems that jointly deliver very high-capacity communication, high accuracy localization, and rich sensing of the surrounding environment.

This workshop provides a focused forum to discuss these developments with emphasis on near field communication–localization–sensing integration. It will cover near-field channel measurement and modeling, beamfocusing and waveform design, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), near-field-enhanced positioning and mapping, the use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and
metasurfaces, AI and machine learning based beam and resource management, and practical aspects such as energy-efficient hardware, secure positioning, and prototype implementations.

The aim is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and standardization bodies to share recent results, clarify open problems, and stimulate collaboration. The workshop will be of interest to anyone working on future wireless systems, including applications such as extended reality, digital twins, connected vehicles, and autonomous systems that can benefit from the joint use of near-field communication, localization, and sensing in 6G networks.

Co-organizer’s Bios:

Emil Björnson:

Emil Björnson (IEEE Fellow) is a Professor of Wireless Communication at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. He is a Digital Futures Fellow, Wallenberg Academy Fellow, and Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. He has a podcast and YouTube channel called Wireless Future. His research focuses on multi-antenna communications and radio resource management, using methods from communication theory, signal processing, and machine learning. He has authored four textbooks and published much simulation code. He has received the 2018 and 2022 IEEE Marconi Prize Paper Awards in Wireless Communications, the 2019 EURASIP Early Career Award, the 2019 IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize, the 2019 IEEE Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award, the 2020 Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award, the 2020 CTTC Early Achievement Award, the 2021 IEEE ComSoc RCC Early Achievement Award, the 2023 IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Paper Award, and the 2024 IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize.

Özlem Tuğfe Demir:

Özlem Tuğfe Demir (Member, IEEE) is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. She received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, in 2012, 2014, and 2018, respectively. She was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Linköping University, Sweden in 2019-2020 and at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden in 2021-2022. She was assistant professor at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in 2022-2025. She has coauthored the textbooks Foundations of User-Centric Cell-Free Massive MIMO (2021) and Introduction to Multiple Antenna Communications and Reconfigurable Surfaces (2024). She is dedicated to reproducible research and has published much simulation code. Her research interests focus on signal processing and optimization in wireless communications, massive MIMO, cell-free massive MIMO, beyond 5G multiple antenna technologies, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, near-field communications, and green mobile networks. She is also an Editor of Wireless Communication Theory and Systems for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. She has organized a workshop titled “Near field communications for 6G and beyond” in PIMRC 2025.

Mustafa Ozger:

Mustafa Ozger (Member, IEEE) is currently an Assistant Professor with Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark, and a Researcher with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. He received the B.Sc. degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, in 2011, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and electronics engineering from Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2013 and 2017, respectively. His research interests include aerial and vehicular networks, the Internet of Things and near-field communications. He serves as an editor for IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing and Transactions on Vehicular Technology. He served as the organizer of the workshop “Near-Field Communications for 6G and Beyond” held at PIMRC 2025.

Ferdi Kara:

Ferdi Kara (Senior Member, IEEE) is a Senior Researcher at Ericsson AB, Sweden. He received M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and electronics engineering from Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Turkey, in 2015 and 2019, respectively. His Ph.D. thesis received Best Ph.D. Thesis Award by IEEE Turkey Section in 2021 and Turkish Academy of Science (TUBA) in 2022. Dr. Kara received 2024 IEEE COMSOC EMEA Outstanding Young Researcher Award. He also has several best papers and exemplary service recognitions by IEEE. He serves as an editor for IEEE Open Journal of Communications Society, IEEE Communications Letters, EURASIP Journal of Wireless Communications and Networking and Physical Communication (Elsevier). He served as the organizer of the workshop “Near-Field Communications for 6G and Beyond” held at PIMRC 2025.

Paper submission deadline Extended: 8 February 2026
Acceptance notification: 18 March 2026
Final paper submission deadline Extended: 7 April 2026

Submission requirements: 5-page paper (without overlength charge) and up to 2 additional pages are allowed with the purchase of additional page charges in the amount of $100 USD per additional page at the time of registration and final paper submission.

Paper submission can be located here: https://vtc2026s-rr-wks.trackchair.com/