The International ITG Workshop on Smart Antennas (WSA) is an annual event which provides a platform to discuss latest research results on the topic of smart antennas. Its purpose is to span theoretical analyses as well as technical applications for intelligent antennas, e.g., in mobile communications and for localization. This prestigious event has a long tradition which dates back to 1996, when the first workshop was held in Munich.

This year, the 24^th ITG Workshop on Smart Antennas took place in Hamburg, Germany, from February 18^th to February 20^th, 2020. It was hosted by Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) for the first time and organized by the Institute of Communications, led by Prof. Gerhard Bauch, the general conference chair. More than 100 scientists from 14 different countries had come together, with participants from academia as well as from industry. This mix of the audience reflects the aim of the conference, namely to bridge the gap between theory and applications of smart antennas.

The program of this year’s WSA comprised a broad range of topics, such as beamforming, massive MIMO, network MIMO, mmWave transmission, compressive sensing, MIMO radar, sensor networks, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, positioning, and machine learning.

In total, 43 oral presentations were held during 10 sessions, including nine invited talks from renowned experts. Additionally, two comprehensive poster sessions with in total 38 posters were organized, which fostered the possibility for more in-depth technical discussions among the participants.

This scientific program was complemented by a social event: the visit to the world-famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall building. After a reception at the plaza, offering beautiful views towards the city and the harbor, dinner was served at the restaurant “Störtebeker”, where the scientists could continue their discussion in a relaxing atmosphere.

Detailed information about WSA 2020 is also available at www.wsa2020.net. The next WSA will take place in France in May of 2021.

Erik Dahlman (Ericsson, Sweden) during his invited talk on 5G New Radio

Bruno Clerckx, invited speaker from Imperial College London, gives a presentation on rate splitting in MIMO networks

Workshop participants during a poster session

Dinner at the Elbphilharmonie

Auditorium during a presentation of Klaus Witrisal (Graz University of Technology, Austria) on high-accuracy positioning