6G • Spectrum
Spatial Modulation
Index Modulation & Generalized Space Shift Keying
A transmission technique where information bits are conveyed not only by RF symbols, but also by the spatial index of which specific antenna is transmitting.
Technical Explanation
Conventional MIMO transmits data simultaneously from all antenna elements, requiring multiple power-hungry RF chains and causing inter-antenna interference. Spatial Modulation maps a portion of the incoming information bits to the spatial index of the transmitting antenna: only one (or a few) antennas in the array transmit during any symbol period. The receiver determines both which symbol was sent and which antenna sent it, conveying extra data bits with a single RF chain.
Key Functions
- Conveying digital information bits via the physical index of active antenna elements
- Requiring only a single RF transceiver chain for a massive multi-antenna array
- Completely eliminating inter-antenna interference and RF cross-talk at the transmitter
- Dramatic reduction in transceiver power consumption and circuit complexity
- Generalized Space Shift Keying (GSSK) extending index modulation to multi-antenna patterns
Specifications
IEEE Transactions on Communications, 6G Physical Layer Working Group
Interfaces
SpatialMod-EncoderAntennaIndex-PHY
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