Reconfigurable intelligent edges: Illuminating the shadow region in wireless networks

This paper proposes a new wireless enabling technology for future smart radio environments. The approach aims to enhance signal coverage within the shadow region(s) of wireless networks with the aid of so-called ‘reconfigurable intelligent edges (RIEs)’. RIEs may be installed at the fringes of shadowing objects such as buildings, walls and other obstacles which obscure the optical signal path from a transmitter to a receiver. We investigate two approaches to illuminating the shadow region in wireless networks using RIEs that exploit refraction or diffraction, operating in passive or active mode. The operation of RIE-assisted communications are investigated, in particular the ways they can redirect electromagnetic energy towards regions with little or no wireless network coverage. Following from this, a number of variations of RIEs are tested in real-world scenarios which consider illuminating the shadow region behind high-rise buildings, first in a city center, and then along a shoreline. Refractive RIEs in particular, are shown to provide significant gains compared to the case when no RIEs are involved, enhancing signal reception in the shadow region at street level behind a high-rise building by as much as 12 dB. Summary gain statistics are provided so that they can be easily included in system-level analyses and simulations. Critically, it is shown that reconfigurable intelligent edges offer a low complexity and cost-effective solution for improving connectivity in shadowing-limited environments.