Multiband wireless systems based on microwave integrated photonics with metasurfaces

Modern wireless technologies—spanning mobile communications to satellite links—rely on systems operating across disparate microwave bands. Although escalating data demands have driven the evolution from 2G to 6G, each generation has traditionally required dedicated, frequency-specific hardware, complicating multiband integration. This challenge intensifies at higher frequencies (5G and beyond), where conventional approaches incur prohibitive costs and power consumption in wireless terminals. Here we present a scalable and unified platform that supports all-generation (2G to 6G+) parallel wireless systems by combining photonic circuits with electronic metasurfaces. Using a self-synchronized dual-comb technique, we simultaneously generate over 60 reconfigurable microwave frequencies up to 100 GHz, with beamforming enabled by compact, low-power metasurfaces. This architecture facilitates all-generation wireless links with advanced modulation formats. Crucially, we demonstrate the direct drive of the wireless edge by data-centre silicon photonic transceivers, seamlessly merging data centre and wireless networks. Our solution unifies signal generation, processing and beamforming in a compact, cost-effective platform, offering a transformative foundation for future wireless systems. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2026.