This paper introduces a new wireless communication paradigm through software-controlled metasurfaces, specifically HyperSurface tiles. These tiles are a novel class of planar metamaterials that can interact with electromagnetic (EM) waves in a controlled manner, enabling deterministic and programmable control over wireless environments. The key idea is to coat objects such as walls, furniture, and other structures with HyperSurface tiles, which can re-engineer EM waves, including steering them towards desired directions, full absorption, and polarization manipulation. An external software service calculates and deploys the optimal interaction types per tile to best fit the needs of communicating devices. The paper discusses the concept of programmable wireless environments, where the environment is made controllable and optimizable via software. This approach allows for the treatment of EM propagation as an application, enabling novel capabilities such as wireless power transfer, Quality of Service (QoS), and security scenarios. The architecture of the HyperSurface tiles includes a functional and physical layer, with the functionality layer supporting software descriptions of metasurface EM functions. The metasurface layer comprises dynamic meta-atoms, whose states are altered to yield the intended EM function. The intra-tile control layer enables programmatic control over the switches of the metasurface layer, while the tile gateway layer specifies the hardware and protocols for bidirectional communication between the controller network and the external world. The paper also discusses the incorporation of programmable wireless environments into existing network infrastructures, particularly Software-Defined Networks (SDN). The environment configuration service is described as a continuous loop with device location discovery systems, allowing for the adaptive tuning of the wireless environment. The workflow of the environment configuration service involves receiving updated locations of user devices and tuning the behavior of the wireless environment accordingly. The service produces matching air-routes and deploys them by sending corresponding EM manipulation commands to the tile gateways. The paper presents simulation results demonstrating the potential of HyperSurfaces in mitigating undesired path loss effects in a real-world wireless communication scenario. The results show significant improvements in signal coverage and received power when HyperSurfaces are used. The study also discusses challenges and research directions, including the optimization of the dynamic meta-atom design, the tile control software, and the application of HyperSurfaces in mm-wave, D2D, and 5G systems. The paper concludes that the HyperSurface concept is applicable to any frequency spectrum and wireless architecture, offering promising research paths for solving path loss, fading, interference, and nonlinear-of-sight problems in both indoor and outdoor communication environments.This paper introduces a new wireless communication paradigm through software-controlled metasurfaces, specifically HyperSurface tiles. These tiles are a novel class of planar metamaterials that can interact with electromagnetic (EM) waves in a controlled manner, enabling deterministic and programmable control over wireless environments. The key idea is to coat objects such as walls, furniture, and other structures with HyperSurface tiles, which can re-engineer EM waves, including steering them towards desired directions, full absorption, and polarization manipulation. An external software service calculates and deploys the optimal interaction types per tile to best fit the needs of communicating devices. The paper discusses the concept of programmable wireless environments, where the environment is made controllable and optimizable via software. This approach allows for the treatment of EM propagation as an application, enabling novel capabilities such as wireless power transfer, Quality of Service (QoS), and security scenarios. The architecture of the HyperSurface tiles includes a functional and physical layer, with the functionality layer supporting software descriptions of metasurface EM functions. The metasurface layer comprises dynamic meta-atoms, whose states are altered to yield the intended EM function. The intra-tile control layer enables programmatic control over the switches of the metasurface layer, while the tile gateway layer specifies the hardware and protocols for bidirectional communication between the controller network and the external world. The paper also discusses the incorporation of programmable wireless environments into existing network infrastructures, particularly Software-Defined Networks (SDN). The environment configuration service is described as a continuous loop with device location discovery systems, allowing for the adaptive tuning of the wireless environment. The workflow of the environment configuration service involves receiving updated locations of user devices and tuning the behavior of the wireless environment accordingly. The service produces matching air-routes and deploys them by sending corresponding EM manipulation commands to the tile gateways. The paper presents simulation results demonstrating the potential of HyperSurfaces in mitigating undesired path loss effects in a real-world wireless communication scenario. The results show significant improvements in signal coverage and received power when HyperSurfaces are used. The study also discusses challenges and research directions, including the optimization of the dynamic meta-atom design, the tile control software, and the application of HyperSurfaces in mm-wave, D2D, and 5G systems. The paper concludes that the HyperSurface concept is applicable to any frequency spectrum and wireless architecture, offering promising research paths for solving path loss, fading, interference, and nonlinear-of-sight problems in both indoor and outdoor communication environments.