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6G RIS Sept 2025 Update Cover.png

6G Communications: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface RIS Materials and Hardware Markets, Technology 2026-2046

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Contents List

  • 1.1 Purpose of this report

    1.2 Methodology of this analysis

    1.3 Background to RIS

    1.3.1 Useful for 5G but essential for 6G

    1.3.2 RIS Google and research paper trends, trending RIS topics through 2025

    1.3.3 Dreams of RIS everywhere: infograms

    1.4 Many types of RIS needed for 6G

    1.5 Ten key conclusions concerning 6G Communications generally

    1.6 Infogram: Primary 6G systems objectives with major hardware opportunities starred

    1.7 Seven key conclusions concerning 6G RIS materials and component opportunities

    1.8 Seven key conclusions concerning 6G RIS cost issues

    1.9 Six key conclusions concerning 6G RIS and reflect-array manufacturing technology

    1.10 Eight SWOT appraisals

    1.10.1 6G RIS SWOT appraisal

    1.10.2 SWOT appraisal of 6G adding sub-THz, THz, near infrared and visible frequencies

    1.10.3 SWOT appraisal of BD-RIS for 6G

    1.10.4 STAR-RIS SWOT appraisal

    1.10.5 SWOT appraisal of 6G RIS for OWC
    1.10.6 SWOT appraisal of visible light communication VLC

    1.10.7 SWOT appraisal for metamaterials and metasurfaces generally

    1.10.8 SWOT appraisal of morphing Flexible Intelligent Metasurfaces FIM
    1.11 5G and 6G RIS roadmaps in four lines 2026-2046

    1.12 6G RIS and reflect-array market forecasts 2026-2046

    1.12.1 6G RIS value market 2027-2046 $ billion with explanation

    1.12.2 6G RIS area sales yearly billion square meters 2027-2046 with explanation

    1.12.3 Average 6G RIS price $/ square m. ex-factory including electronics 2028-2046 with explanation

    1.12.4 6G RIS value market $ billion: active vs four semi-passive categories by frequency 2026-2046 with explanation

    1.12.5 6G RIS area sales vs average panel area, panels sales number and total panels deployed cumulatively 2027-2046 with explanation

    1.12.6 6G RIS value market, base station vs propagation path $ billion 2027-2046

    1.12.7 Percentage share of global RIS hardware value market by four regions 2029-2046

    1.12.8 Market for semi-passive vs active RIS 0.1-1THz vs non-6G THz electronics 2027-2046

    1.12.9 6G fully passive metamaterial reflect-array market $ billion 2029-2046

    1.13 Supporting information

    1.13.1 Smartphone billion units sold globally 2024-2046 if 6G is successful

    1.13.2 Market for 6G vs 5G base stations units millions yearly 2025-2046

    1.13.3 Market for 6G base stations market value $bn if 6G successful 2029-2046

    1.13.4 Location of primary 6G material and component activity worldwide 2026-2046

  • 2.1 Overview

    2.1.1 Definitions and context

    2.1.2 RIS operation modes, some key issues in providing planned 6G benefits

    2.1.3 Important trend from moving parts to smart materials

    2.1.4 Diverse functionalities and applications of RIS and allied intelligent metasurfaces

    2.1.5 Examples of current approaches to RIS design and capability

    2.1.6 Unique features of RIS vs traditional approaches and combinations through 2025

    2.1.7 Transitional product towards RIS is liquid crystal phased array

    2.1.8 RIS competing with traditional approaches

    2.1.9 How 6G systems will mix and match many technologies in the propagation path 2.1.10 Active RIS becomes important: different envisaged potential and advances through 2025

    2.2 RIS functionality and usefulness – a closer look

    2.2.1 Improved spatial coverage and macro-diversity

    2.2.2 Capacity enhancement, green communications and Internet of Things

    2.2.3 Physical layer security, anti-jamming, and reliability enhancement

    2.2.4 Enabling Large-Scale IoT Network Deployment

    2.2.5 Wireless Sensing and Localization, HRIS, ISAC

    2.2.6 RIS from the systems and security viewpoint with 2025 advances

    2.3 Activities of standards bodies and influencers related to 6G RIS

    2.4 Broadening vs retrenching 6G and 6G RIS objectives, smart radio environments

    2.5 Terminology thicket

    2.6 Changing industrial and research trends through 2025

    2.6.1 Broadening theoretical studies useful but relative neglect of hardware is not

    2.6.2 Backtracking on frequencies compromises capability at launch

    2.6.3 2025 research focussed on broadly 5G frequencies: GHz and mmWave for 6G through 2025

    2.6.4 0.1THz to 3THz 6G RIS research through 2025

    2.7 Improving reach at the higher frequencies: trajectory engineering 2.8 Analysis of 18 other research advances through 2025

    2.9 6G global architecture proposals, complementary systems

  • 3.1 Overview

    3.1.1 Some options to make RIS more acceptable, deployable and useful

    3.1.2 Synergistic combination of advanced physical and RIS properties

    3.2 Invisible RIS – transparent or out of sight

    3.2.1 Potential transparent RIS capabilities

    3.2.2 Transparent 6G RIS in 2025-6: companies, universities, ambitions

    3.2.3 Transparent reflect arrays: Sekisui and others

    3.3 Large Intelligent Surfaces LIS and Extremely Large-scale Antenna Array ELAA 2025 research including wide area RIS

    3.3.1 Definitions and benefits

    3.3.2 Large Intelligent Surfaces LIS RIS enhancing security, range, error reduction

    3.3.3 Advances in protective coatings for wide area energy harvesting and RIS in 2025

    3.4 RIS will become self-powered and enable zero energy client devices

    3.4.1 Overview

    3.4.2 Maturity of primary ZED enabling technologies in 2025

    3.4.3 Ranking of most popular 6G ZED compounds and carbon allotropes in research

    3.4.4 Context of ZED: overlapping and adjacent technologies and examples of long-life energy independence

    3.4.5 SWIPT, STIIPT, AmBC and CD-ZED objectives and latest progress

    3.4.6 13 harvesting technologies for 6G ZED infrastructure and client devices 2026-2046

    3.4.7 6G active RIS and UM MIMO base station power demands matched to energy harvesting options

    3.4.8 SWOT appraisal of batteryless storage technologies for ZED RIS and more

    3.4.9 SWOT appraisal of circuits and infrastructure that eliminate storage

    3.5 Long life: self-healing materials for fit-and-forget

    3.6 Artificial intelligence and machine learning for optimising, self-learning, self-adaptive , autonomous RIS: Progress through 2025

    3.7 Multimode and multifrequency, dynamic spectrum sharing DSS 6G and its RIS

  • 4.1 Definitions, material challenges, applicability

    4.1.1 Significance

    4.1.2 The simple description

    4.1.3 SWOT appraisal of BD-RIS for 6G

    4.1.4 Coverage in this chapter and your opportunities

    4.2 Potential benefits of BD-RIS

    4.3 BD-RIS hardware challenges

    4.4 Practical implementations and requirement for improvement 4.4.1 The challenge

    4.4.2 First practical demonstrations of BD-RIS claimed in 2025

    4.4.3 Terrestrial BD-RIS progress through 2025: many other advances and appraisals

    4.4.4 Improving RIS in non terrestrial networks NTN

  • 5.1 Overview with review of 2025 research, industrial trends and possibilities

    5.2 Simultaneous transmissive and reflective STAR RIS 5.2.1 Overview

    5.2.2 STAR-RIS optimisation

    5.2.3 STAR-RIS-ISAC integrated sensing and communication system

    5.2.4 TAIS Transparent Amplifying Intelligent Surface and SWIPT active STAR-RIS

    5.2.5 STAR-RIS with energy harvesting and adaptive power

    5.2.6 STAR RIS SWOT appraisal

    5.3 Other multifunctional and multi-mode RIS

    5.3.1 Overview

    5.3.2 Multifunctional RIS: solid-state cooling functionality

    5.3.3 Integrated sensing and communication ISAC

    5.3.4 Multimode RIS ensuring system security: combined semi-passive and active RIS

  • 6.1 Overview

    6.2 Progress to UM-MIMO

    6.3 RIS-enabled, self-powered ultra-massive 6G UM-MIMO base station design

    6.4 RIS for massive MIMO base station: Tsinghua University, Emerson

    6.5 RIS as small cell base station

    6.6 Other important advances in RIS-enabled MIMO and base stations in 2025

    6.7 How satellites and UAVs will aid and sometimes benefit from 6G RIS: advances through 2025

    6.8 Important advances in 2024

    6.9 Large stratospheric HAPS RIS

  • 7.1 Overview

    7.1.1 Primitive to advanced tuning

    7.1.2 Tuning mechanisms in context

    7.1.3 Examples of RIS external control stimuli used in research and trials

    7.1.4 RIS tuning hardware options compared

    7.1.5 Infogram: The Terahertz Gap demands different tuning materials and devices

    7.2 Lessons from research carried out on RIS tuning: 2025 and earlier

    7.2.1 Changing focus

    7.2.2 Electrical and optical tuning and higher frequencies favoured

    7.3 Detailed analysis of progress with discrete tuning components

    7.3.1 General

    7.3.2 Schottky diode RIS tuning vs other diodes

    7.3.3 High-Electron Mobility Transistor HEMT RIS tuning

    7.3.4 Less successful other options with reasons

    7.4 Prioritisation of tuning materials replacing discretes for 6G RIS 0.1-1THz and NearIR

    7.4.1 Winners on current evidence

    7.4.2 Options for integrated tuning materials for higher frequency 6G

    7.4.3 Vanadium dioxide: rationale and major progress through 2025, 2024

    7.4.4 Chalcogenide phase change materials notably GST and GeTe

    7.4.5 Graphene: rationale and major progress through 2025, 2024

    7.4.6 Liquid crystal rationale and progress through 2025, 2024

    7.5 Large RIS and other gaps in the market

  • 8.1 Why OWC including RIS at its frequencies is an attractive addition for 6G

    8.1.1 Optical Wireless Communications OWC and subset Visible Light Communications VLC

    8.1.2 The case for multi-frequency 6G Phase Two including optical “so one gets through”

    8.1.3 Parameter comparison of Free Space Optical FSO with 3-300GHz communication

    8.2 The potential and the challenges of Optical RIS ORIS with SWOT appraisals

    8.2.1 Overview

    8.2.2 ORIS benefits and the Distributed RIS DRIS option

    8.2.3 ORIS challenges

    8.2.4 SWOT appraisal of 6G RIS for OWC

    8.2.5 SWOT appraisal of visible light communication

    8.3 ORIS implementation procedures

    8.4 Long range, underground, underwater and space OWC: RIS: research advances 2025 and earlier

    8.4.1 General

    8.4.2 RIS enhanced OWC vehicular networks and mobile environments

    8.4.3 Hybrid RF-FSO RIS

    8.4.4 Underwater UOWC systems

    8.4.5 Underground OWC needing RIS

    8.4.6 Laser stratospheric and space communications with RIS technology

    8.5 Short range and indoor OWC and its RIS: research advances through 2025 and earlier

    8.5.1 Indoors and short range in air

    8.5.2 Leveraging other indoor and short-range outdoor systems such as LiFi with RIS

    8.6 Potentially 6G optical materials

    8.7 Metalenses for 6G including advances through 2025

    8.8 Mirror array ORIS design

  • 9.1 Overview

    9.2 Appraisal of 6G-related metamaterial research major advances through 2025

    9.2.1 New advances in metamaterial design

    9.2.2 Hypersurfaces, stacked intelligent metasurfaces, swarms, bifunctional metasurfaces

    9.2.3 Optimal metamaterial substrates and low loss, 6G glass TIRS

    9.2.4 Optimal metamaterial substrates including transparent 6G glass

    9.3 Metamaterial basics

    9.3.1 The meta-atom and patterning options

    9.3.2 Material and functional families

    9.3.3 Metamaterial reflect-arrays for 5G and 6G Communications

    9.3.4 Metamaterial patterns and materials

    9.3.5 Six formats of communications metamaterial with examples

    9.4 Metasurface basics

    9.4.1 Metasurface design, operation and RIS

    9.4.2 How metamaterial RIS hardware operates

    9.4.3 RIS and reflect-array construction and potential capability

    9.4.4 All dielectric and non-linear dielectric metasurfaces

    9.5 The long-term picture of metamaterials overall

    9.6 Emerging applications of GHz, THz, infrared and optical metamaterials

    9.7 Thermal metamaterials

    9.8 SWOT appraisal for metamaterials and metasurfaces generally

    9.9 Morphing Flexible Intelligent Metasurfaces FIM basics and their research through 2025

    9.9.1 Basics

    9.9.2 FIM network topology and potential applications targetted

    9.9.3 Many FIM research advances through 2025 assessed

    9.9.4 SWOT appraisal of 6G FIM

  • 10.1 Thin film and transparent electronics state-of-the-art

    10.2 Trend from discrete boards, stacked films to full smart material integration

    10.3 Importance of flexible, laminar and 2D energy harvesting and sensing

    10.4 How manufacturing technologies differ for 6G RIS optical, low or high THz

    10.4.1 Candidates: nano-imprinting, nano-lithography, lithography, gravure, inkjet, screen, flexo, spray, other

    10.4.2 Special case: 3D printing with electron beam evaporation

    10.4.3 Ultra-fast laser system

    10.5 6G RIS inspection and testing: new advances in 2025

    10.5.1 Testing challenges

    10.5.2 Progress in RIS inspection in 2025

    10.6 RIS cost analysis

    10.6.1 General assessment

    10.6.2 NEC and other costed case studies

    10.6.3 Outdoor semi-passive and active RIS cost analysis at high areas of deployment

    10.6.4 Indoor semi-passive RIS cost analysis at volume

  • 11.1 Overview and patenting

    11.1.1 Rapidly changing situation 2025-6

    11.1.2 RIS patenting and literature trends

    11.2 AGC Japan

    11.3 Alcan Systems Germany

    11.4 Alibaba China 11.5 Alphacore USA

    11.6 China Telecom China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, CICT China collaboration

    11.7 Ericsson Sweden

    11.8 Fractal Antenna Systems USA

    11.9 Greenerwave France

    11.10 Huawei China

    11.11 ITOCHU Japan

    11.12 Kymeta Corp. USA

    11.13 Kyocera Japan

    11.14 Metacept Systems USA

    11.15 Metawave USA

    11.16 NEC Japan

    11.17 Nokia Finland with LG Uplus South Korea

    11.18 NTT DoCoMo and NTTJapan

    11.19 Orange France

    11.20 Panasonic Japan

    11.21 Pivotal Commware USA

    11.22 Qualcomm USA

    11.23 Samsung Electronic South Korea

    11.24 Sekisui Japan

    11.25 SensorMetrix USA

    11.26 SK Telecom South Korea

    11.27 Sony Japan

    11.28 Teraview USA

    11.29 Vivo Mobile Communications China

    11.30 VTT Finland

    11.31 ZTE China

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces RIS for 6G Communications may become the largest market for metasurfaces. Billion-dollar businesses will be created providing them. However, companies making added-value materials and hardware face a dilemma when seeking to understand their RIS opportunities. Researchers largely indulge in obscure theoretical studies using many terms to mean the same thing. Companies developing RIS systems are understandably secretive and old market research is useless in such a fast-moving subject.

Deep understanding of latest realities

To the rescue comes the new, readable Zhar Research report, "6G Communications: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface RIS Materials and Hardware Markets, Technology 2026-2046". It concentrates mostly on the flood of new research through 2025 and latest company activity, with 591 pages to cover all aspects. Commercially oriented, it has 10 SWOT appraisals, 11 chapters, 25 forecast lines 2026-2046, 30 key conclusions, 41 new infograms and it covers 106 companies. There is much on the current priority of RIS at or near 5G frequencies for 6G launch in 2030 and recent breakthroughs in exciting emerging sectors such as beyond-diagonal, morphing, transparent all-round RIS, active RIS, aerospace RIS and large area RIS.

Quick read

The Executive Summary and Conclusions takes 73 pages to clearly present the 30 conclusions, the main SWOT reports, analysis of which materials and technologies will matter, roadmaps and forecasts as tables and graphs with explanation. Learn how RIS will be essential, later vanishing into the fabric of society yet assisting in the provision of stellar, ubiquitous performance involving multiple additional user benefits. All subsequent chapters are boosted by detail on the many research advances and initiatives through 2025. Miss those and you are misled.

Main report

Chapter 2. Introduction (100 pages) gives RIS definitions, clarifying the terminology thicket, design basics and future evolution to become smart materials, smart windows and more. Understand the disruptive, very-challenging 6G Phase Two essential for most of the promised 6G paybacks and benefits to society. RIS aspects introduced here include improved spatial coverage, macro-diversity, capacity enhancement, green communications, enabling large scale Internet of Things, reliability enhancement, sensing and localization. Grasp RIS from the systems and security viewpoint and the activities of standards bodies and influencers related to 6G RIS.

Chapter 3 takes 51 pages to cover the “Ultimate 6G RIS hardware toolkit: invisible, wide area, self-powered, self-learning, self-adaptive, self-healing, self-cleaning, ubiquitous, autonomous, everlasting, AI enabled, dynamic spectrum sharing, other”. Importantly, it clarifies most of what can and should be achieved before looking at progress towards it in the rest of the report. Many new infograms and SWOT appraisals make it easy to grasp. Examples include routes to self-powered infrastructure, unpowered client devices, artificial intelligence for both RIS design and operation, spectrum sharing.  

Chapter 4 covers the new realisation that RIS has only been designed to operate in a small subset of what is possible. This chapter  is called “Beyond diagonal RIS architecture tackles 6G RIS limitations: Surge in advances through 2025” (26 pages). These more advanced options can provide more range, reach around obstructions and other benefits.

Chapter 5. “Multifunctional and multi-mode RIS including STAR-RIS, ISAC, SWIPT” covers these other emerging priorities, most of which can work with BD-RIS where appropriate. Learn how RIS will often be multi-mode such as with both active and semi-passive tiles, simultaneous transmission and reflection, multiple frequencies. Transparent STAR-RIS will give all-round coverage and there is now huge interest in integrating sensing and communication ISAC with RIS. Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer SWIPT is rather like Radio Frequency identification RFID backscatter on steroids, leading to similarly unpowered and sometimes battery-free devices.

We next move beyond RIS enhancing the propagation path to it enhancing transmission and the allied topic of assisting and using drones. Chapter 6. “Base station, UM-MIMO, Tower in the Sky HAPS and other UAV RIS” (36 pages) includes the RIS prospects with High Altitude Pseudo Satellites HAPS that have cost and other advantages over satellites. These solar drones can be repaired, repositioned, hold position, give faster response by being nearer and maybe eventually stay aloft for almost as long as a LEO satellite.

Chapter 7.  “RIS tuning hardware objectives and progress with research through 2025” (71 pages) goes much deeper into this vital aspect, importantly with many new research advances assessed through 2025. What materials opportunities? Progress from discrete components to tuning materials in the metamaterial pattern? Problems that are your gaps in the market?

Chapter 8. Optical Wireless Communications ORIS for 6G: major progress through 2025 (65 pages) covers a RIS aspect often ignored in market surveys but increasingly in focus for later 6G. Learn why infrared and visible light are best optical options on current evidence and how they are complementary.  See ORIS theory and practice.

Chapter 9. “6G Morphing Flexible Intelligent Metasurfaces FIM, 6G hypersurfaces, metamaterial basics” (49 pages) explains these, mostly new options that enjoyed a great surge of research advances through 2025. They are another way of providing much superior performance even at GHz and mmWave frequencies. They may be a route to reversing the reduced enthusiasm for THz frequency in 6G by making it viable outdoors when combined with other new approaches covered earlier.

Chapter 10. “RIS and reflect-array manufacture, inspection, testing, cost breakdown” (14 pages) covers these aspects, including recent changes of direction. Chapter 11. “6G RIS companies : products, plans, patents, Zhar appraisals: 2025-6” then closes the report with RIS-related work of 30 companies being separately assessed.

Essential source

The Zhar Research report, “6G Communications: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface RIS Materials and Hardware Markets, Technology 2026-2046” is your essential reference as you address this emerging market of billions of dollars. It is constantly updated so you always get the latest information.