RIS Performance in a Comprehensive Fading Environment

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) as a promising technology that can enhance the wireless communication performance by softening the harshness of the propagation conditions of the environment. However, the impact of mobility on RIS-assisted communication systems remains a critical yet understudied aspect. In this article, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of RIS-enabled systems under various fading conditions, considering the influence of phase noise and the role of the direct channel. We investigate scenarios with both static and mobile receiving terminals, highlighting the interplay between fading, phase noise, and the effects of the direct channel. Our findings reveal the significance of effectively managing phase noise to optimize RIS configurations, whose vulnerability becomes more evident in the presence of higher order modulations.