Next-Generation Passive EM Skins for Advanced Wave Manipulation in FWA Scenarios

Fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies are becoming increasingly important in those scenarios where broadband connectivity is required but it is impossible or highly impractical to deploy standard fixed lines. Unfortunately, current FWA systems are inherently limited by the need of line-of-sight connectivity between the base station and the endpoints of interest. The possibility to overcome such a limitation by adopting static passive electromagnetic skins (EMSs) has been recently proposed. This technology has been demonstrated to allow a considerable enhancement of the total path attenuation (TPA) experienced by point-to-point FWA links, even overcoming the asymptotic free-space limit and the performance of standard flat reflectors as dictated by image theory. The objective of this work is to provide a review of the recent advances in the design of EMSs for FWA, to illustrate the features, potentialities, and open challenges of such a technology, and to discuss the potential application scenarios of this methodological approach. Moreover, selected proof-of-concept results are presented to illustrate the practical feasibility of the suggested solution strategy in real-world scenarios.