Pinched Antenna Systems for Sustainable Net-Zero 6G Near-Field Wireless Communications

Sixth-generation (6G) mobile systems must deliver rich connectivity and precise sensing while keeping the energy and material use limited. We present pinched antenna systems (PASS) as a practical path. It is a movable radiator on low-loss dielectric guides that creates a large reconfigurable aperture. A multi-layer control plane that combines digital precoding, per guide analog weighting, and physical placement focuses energy in the near field with a small set of active radio chains. Simulation evidence shows a higher rate at lower transmit effort than conventional arrays, along with stronger focusing and reduced spillover. As the coupling region grows, the improvement rises and then saturates, which encourages right-sizing and avoids material overuse. Additionally, we have shown that the pinching elements cluster near active users to form compact hot spots that reduce unnecessary illumination and interference. These traits lower amplifier load and cooling demand while preserving service quality. Use cases are provided that span communications integrated sensing, wireless communications, power transfer, and physical layer security. Open issues include cancellation within the guide fast channel, learning scalable calibration, and interfaces with phased arrays and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. Collectively, the article demonstrates that the PASS stands out as a strong candidate for sustainable deployment in next-generation networks.