Terahertz-Empowered Communications and Sensing in 6G Systems: Opportunities and Challenges

The current focus of academia and the telecommunications industry has been shifted to the development of the six-generation (6G) cellular technology, also formally referred to as IMT-2030. Unprecedented applications that 6G aims to accommodate demand extreme communications performance and, in addition, disruptive capabilities such as network sensing. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in terahertz (THz) frequencies as it offers not only massive spectral resources for communication but also distinct advantages in sensing, positioning, and imaging. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief outlook on opportunities opened by this under-exploited band and challenges that must be addressed to materialize the potential of THz-based communications and sensing in 6G systems.