ISAC’s three promises — and the 9 challenges it must overcome

ISAC leverages radio signals and infrastructure of mobile networks to detect, locate and interpret objects in the environment

As the industry explores what 6G will look like, one of the most discussed — and often misunderstood — concepts is Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC). While frequently pitched as the 6G use case, experts caution that ISAC should be seen less as a standalone application and more as an enabling capability with transformative potential across scenarios like public safety, smart cities and advanced mobility.

ISAC refers to the integration of sensing and the spatial location of passive objects into the mobile communication network. Instead of deploying separate sensor networks, ISAC leverages the radio signals and infrastructure of mobile networks to detect, locate and interpret objects in the environment. This integration could power services like smarter traffic management and faster emergency response in cities and venues.

“This is the sexy new thing about 6G … where we all see potential,” Anton Monk, the VP of strategy at Cohere Technologies noted during a previous RCR event, pointing to scenarios such as resource allocation at stadiums, shopping malls, parking lots and public safety. But he argued that ISAC is best viewed not as a use case itself, but as a foundational enabler: “I would call it an enabler,” he said.

So, what will it enable? New findings from 5G Americas suggest that there are three key domains where ISAC can reshape the network landscape:

1. Network as a sensor: ISAC can add sensing capabilities directly to mobile networks, offering cost, scale and coverage advantages over standalone sensor systems.
2. Sensing-as-a-Service: By transforming the network into a sensing platform, CSPs can integrate complementary sensors — such as cameras, radar and radio sensors — using sensor fusion to deliver reliable insights even when cameras fail due to darkness or weather. This domain represents a significant monetization opportunity, allowing operators to aggregate and process data before exposing it through dedicated interfaces to third parties.
3. Sensing for communications: Environmental awareness gathered through ISAC can optimize network operations, including handover and beam management, improving efficiency and performance for operators.

On the topic of Sensing-as-a-Service, specifically, the report stated: “[This] represents a key monetization opportunity for CSPs. Ownership of the ISAC platform and data makes it possible for CSPs that own the ISAC platform and associated data can aggregate data from multiple sources and expose it via dedicated interface platforms.”

While these opportunities are exciting, 5G Americas pointed out that ISAC faces three times the number of technical challenges compared to typical deployments — hurdles that could significantly impact CSPs’ timelines, performance and costs:

• Waveform co-design: Reconciling communication needs (high throughput, low latency) with sensing requirements (fine time-frequency resolution, Doppler sensitivity) demands multi-objective and fine-grained optimization.
• Mutual interference: Shared use of spectral, temporal and spatial resources can cause interference, requiring intelligent resource allocation techniques like adaptive beamforming and interference-aware scheduling.
• Dynamic environments: Rapidly changing RF conditions (mobility, obstructions, variable usage) challenge real-time scheduling and reliable sensing performance.
• Performance trade-offs: Balancing sensing and communication often reduces capacity or accuracy (e.g., more pilot signals for sensing means less data transmission).
• Sensing accuracy: Maintaining high accuracy in cluttered urban or indoor environments is difficult due to multipath, occlusions and background noise, especially in large-scale deployments.
• AI complexity: Deploying advanced AI models (e.g., CNNs, reinforcement learning) across edge and core introduces issues with power consumption, latency and scalability.
• Automation and orchestration: Coordinating sensing and communication demands robust automation for synchronization, data fusion and distributed AI agent management.
• Security and privacy: Sensing data may expose sensitive personal information, raising privacy, surveillance and legal concerns that vary by application.
• Standardization gaps: Lack of mature, unified standards and ecosystem readiness (e.g., limited hardware compatibility, testing frameworks) slows widespread adoption, despite early efforts like IEEE 802.11bf and 3GPP Release 19.

“The vision of seamlessly ISAC is undoubtedly compelling, but its realization hinges on overcoming a multifaceted array of technical, architectural and regulatory challenges,” wrote the report authors. “Progress in AI-driven optimization, adaptable hardware design and global standardization will be critical in addressing these barriers. Active research, pilot deployments and cross-sector collaboration continue to pave the way for ISAC to become a central feature of 6G networks and beyond.”