Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)

Last updated on: 2026-06-18 by Vikram.

Introduction to ISAC

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), also referred to as joint communication and sensing (JCAS) in IEEE literature,is an emerging technology that unifies wireless communication and sensing within a single platform. The sensing will enable the network to perceive the physical environment using RADAR like capabilities without a perceivable impact on the communication performance. However, the integration of sensing and communication feature is not that straightforward and requires a careful design of the system. The design of the system should be such that it can support both communication and sensing functionalities without compromising on the performance of either.

Level of Integration between Communication and Sensing

Integration of communication and sensing can be achieved at various levels, ranging from spectrum sharing and co-existence to fully unified waveform design and joint signal processing.

  • Infrastructure Sharing: At this level, communication and sensing systems share the same physical infrastructure, such as antennas and transceivers. This allows for cost savings and efficient use of hardware resources, but the communication and sensing functions may still operate independently.

  • Spectrum Sharing and Co-existence: At this level, communication and sensing systems operate independently but share the same spectrum resources. This requires careful management of interference and coordination to ensure that both functions can coexist without significant performance degradation.

  • Unified Waveform Design: In this approach, the same waveform is designed to simultaneously support both communication and sensing functionalities. For example, an OFDM waveform can be adapted to incorporate radar-like sensing capabilities, allowing for the extraction of both communication and sensing information from the same signal.

  • Joint Signal Processing: At this level, communication and sensing functions are tightly integrated, with joint resource allocation and cross-layer optimization across network nodes. This allows for enhanced performance and efficiency, as sensing information can be used to improve communication processes, such as beamforming and channel estimation.

The level of integration depends on the specific use case, system requirements, and deployment scenarios.

Why Did ISAC Have to Wait Until 6G??

6G Networks will be equiped with advanced technologies such as large transmission bandwidths (cmWave, mmWave, and THz), massive MIMO antenna arrays, artificial intelligence, and advanced signal processing techniques. These technologies enable high-resolution delay–Doppler–angle estimation, facilitating precise localization and imaging capabilities. Communication waveforms, such as OFDM, can be adapted to incorporate radar-like sensing functionalities, allowing simultaneous extraction of communication and sensing information. The details of the hardware and compute capabilities of 6G networks are detailed in the following table:

Technology

5G-Advanced

6G

Bandwidth

Up to 100 MHz at FR1

Up to 200-400 MHz at FR1 and FR3

Up to 400 MHz at FR2

Up to 1 GHz at FR2 and THz range

Frequency Bands

700 MHz (Coverage)

decimeter Wave (Coverage)

Sub-6 GHz (Capacity)

Sub-6 GHz, ~7 GHz (Capacity),

mmWave with ABF (Precision)

mmWave with DBF, THz with ABF (Precision)

MIMO

Up to 256 antennas

4-16 times more antennas compared to

5G Networks

AI Integration

Limited AI capabilities

Native AI integration

Signal Processing

Traditional DSP techniques

Advanced signal processing techniques
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Scope of this Website

This website will focus on the ISAC and related standardization work in 3GPP. The website will cover the following topics:

  • 3GPP standardization work on ISAC

    • ISAC usecases in 6G

    • Standardization work across 3GPP working groups

    • ISAC related study items and work items in 3GPP

    • ISAC System Simulation and Performance Evaluation related Aspects

    • ISAC Channel Modeling and Measurement related Aspects

    • ISAC Waveform Design and Reference Signal related Aspects

    • ISAC Hardware and Implementation related Aspects

    • ISAC Signal Processing and AI related Aspects

    • ISAC RAN Digital Twin and Network Optimization related Aspects

  • Standards Driven Research on ISAC

    • Waveform design for ISAC

    • Reference signal design for ISAC

    • Channel modeling for ISAC

    • Resource allocation and scheduling for ISAC

    • AI for ISAC

    • Clutter cancellation algorithms for ISAC

    • Target detection algorithms for ISAC

    • Target localization algorithms for ISAC

    • Target tracking algorithms for ISAC

    • Communication assisted sensing via ISAC

    • Sensing assisted communication via ISAC

      • Sensing assisted beamforming for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted channel estimation for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted CSI acquisition for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted resource allocation for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted mobility management for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted interference management for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted localization for ISAC

      • Sensing assisted power control for ISAC

      • Sensing asssited power saving

Where to find detailed information?

Contents:

Features