Xingqin Lin

Zhizhen Li, Xuanhao Luo, Xueren Ge et al.

Large AI models have been widely adopted in wireless communications for channel modeling, beamforming, and resource optimization. However, most existing efforts remain limited to single-modality inputs and channel-specific objec- tives, overlooking the broader potential of large foundation models for unified wireless sensing. To bridge this gap, we propose MMSense, a multi-modal, multi-task foundation model that jointly addresses channel-centric, environment-aware, and human-centered sensing. Our framework integrates image, radar, LiDAR, and textual data by transforming them into vision- compatible representations, enabling effective cross-modal align- ment within a unified feature space. A modality gating mecha- nism adaptively fuses these representations, while a vision-based large language model backbone enables unified feature align- ment and instruction-driven task adaptation. Furthermore, task- specific sequential attention and uncertainty-based loss weighting mechanisms enhance cross-task generalization. Experiments on real wireless scenario datasets show that our approach outper- forms both task-specific and large-model baselines, confirming its strong generalization across heterogeneous sensing tasks.

Xingqin Lin

Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) played an important role in the 4G-to-5G transition by allowing 5G new radio (NR) to enter valuable legacy spectrum without immediate static refarming. Yet practical deployments also exposed the cost of coexistence of NR with long-term evolution (LTE), including overheads, control-channel bottlenecks, neighbor-cell interference, etc. As 6G begins to take shape, spectrum scarcity below 7 GHz is again making 5G-6G spectrum sharing a migration tool of interest. Multi radio access technology spectrum sharing (MRSS) is being considered by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) as a key mechanism for 5G-6G coexistence. This article reviews the lessons learned from LTE-NR DSS and examines how those lessons should shape MRSS design. The main challenge is no longer basic coexistence feasibility, but coexistence efficiency which determines whether MRSS will become a broadly usable framework for 5G-to-6G spectrum migration.

Lopamudra Kundu, Xingqin Lin, Rajesh Gadiyar et al.

The radio access network (RAN) landscape is undergoing a transformative shift from traditional, communication-centric infrastructures towards converged compute-communication platforms. This article introduces AI-RAN which integrates both RAN and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads on the same infrastructure. By doing so, AI-RAN not only meets the performance demands of future networks but also improves asset utilization. We begin by examining how RANs have evolved beyond mobile broadband towards AI-RAN and articulating manifestations of AI-RAN into three forms: AI-for-RAN, AI-on-RAN, and AI-and-RAN. Next, we identify the key requirements and enablers for the convergence of communication and computing in AI-RAN. We then provide a reference architecture for advancing AI-RAN from concept to practice. To illustrate the practical potential of AI-RAN, we present a proof-of-concept that concurrently processes RAN and AI workloads utilizing NVIDIA Grace-Hopper GH200 servers. Finally, we conclude the article by outlining future work directions to guide further developments of AI-RAN.

Mojtaba Vaezi, Xingqin Lin, Hongliang Zhang et al.

Modern cellular networks are multi-cell and use universal frequency reuse to maximize spectral efficiency. This results in high inter-cell interference. This problem is growing as cellular networks become three-dimensional with the adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This is because the strength and number of interference links rapidly increase due to the line-of-sight channels in UAV communications. Existing interference management solutions need each transmitter to know the channel information of interfering signals, rendering them impractical due to excessive signaling overhead. In this paper, we propose leveraging deep reinforcement learning for interference management to tackle this shortcoming. In particular, we show that interference can still be effectively mitigated even without knowing its channel information. We then discuss novel approaches to scale the algorithms with linear/sublinear complexity and decentralize them using multi-agent reinforcement learning. By harnessing interference, the proposed solutions enable the continued growth of civilian UAVs.

Xingqin Lin

Industries worldwide are being transformed by artificial intelligence (AI), and the telecom industry is no different. Standardization is critical for industry alignment to achieve widespread adoption of AI in telecom. The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) Release 18 is the first release of 5G-Advanced, which includes a diverse set of study and work items dedicated to AI. This article provides a holistic overview of the state of the art in the 3GPP work on AI in 5G-Advanced, by presenting the various 3GPP Release-18 activities on AI as an organic whole, explaining in detail the design aspects, and sharing various design rationales influencing standardization.

Hongyi Zhang, Jingya Li, Zhiqiang Qi et al.

Fast and reliable connectivity is essential to enhancing situational awareness and operational efficiency for public safety mission-critical (MC) users. In emergency or disaster circumstances, where existing cellular network coverage and capacity may not be available to meet MC communication demands, deployable-network-based solutions such as cells-on-wheels/wings can be utilized swiftly to ensure reliable connection for MC users. In this paper, we consider a scenario where a macro base station (BS) is destroyed due to a natural disaster and an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying BS (UAV-BS) is set up to provide temporary coverage for users in the disaster area. The UAV-BS is integrated into the mobile network using the 5G integrated access and backhaul (IAB) technology. We propose a framework and signalling procedure for applying machine learning to this use case. A deep reinforcement learning algorithm is designed to jointly optimize the access and backhaul antenna tilt as well as the three-dimensional location of the UAV-BS in order to best serve the on-ground MC users while maintaining a good backhaul connection. Our result shows that the proposed algorithm can autonomously navigate and configure the UAV-BS to improve the throughput and reduce the drop rate of MC users.

Yun Chen, Xingqin Lin, Talha Ahmed Khan et al.

The growing deployment of drones in a myriad of applications relies on seamless and reliable wireless connectivity for safe control and operation of drones. Cellular technology is a key enabler for providing essential wireless services to flying drones in the sky. Existing cellular networks targeting terrestrial usage can support the initial deployment of low-altitude drone users, but there are challenges such as mobility support. In this paper, we propose a novel handover framework for providing efficient mobility support and reliable wireless connectivity to drones served by a terrestrial cellular network. Using tools from deep reinforcement learning, we develop a deep Q-learning algorithm to dynamically optimize handover decisions to ensure robust connectivity for drone users. Simulation results show that the proposed framework significantly reduces the number of handovers at the expense of a small loss in signal strength relative to the baseline case where a drone always connect to a base station that provides the strongest received signal strength.

Yun Chen, Xingqin Lin, Talha Khan et al.

Flying drones can be used in a wide range of applications and services from surveillance to package delivery. To ensure robust control and safety of drone operations, cellular networks need to provide reliable wireless connectivity to drone user equipments (UEs). To date, existing mobile networks have been primarily designed and optimized for serving ground UEs, thus making the mobility support in the sky challenging. In this paper, a novel handover (HO) mechanism is developed for a cellular-connected drone system to ensure robust wireless connectivity and mobility support for drone-UEs. By leveraging tools from reinforcement learning, HO decisions are dynamically optimized using a Q-learning algorithm to provide an efficient mobility support in the sky. The results show that the proposed approach can significantly reduce (e.g., by 80%) the number of HOs, while maintaining connectivity, compared to the baseline HO scheme in which the drone always connects to the strongest cell.