Networks that sense

01Field scene

A radio that also sees.

A compact radar on a tower top already reads precipitation and movement. In an integrated design, the base station’s own waveform does part of that work, and the sensing results become a network service. On this valley, the radar on the ridge stands in for that future node.

Figure as text: A sensing node on the ridge and the cell on the valley floor

An alpine valley with a compact radar on the ridge, a cell tower on the floor and its visible ground in red stipple.

• Sensing node
• Cell site
• Edge fusion

02Systems diagram

What it is for.

The 3GPP study lists more than thirty use cases, among them detecting drones, monitoring traffic, sensing rainfall and protecting people around automated machinery². Most need the sensing result at the edge within milliseconds and in the cloud only as a summary.

Figure as text: Sensing results as a network service

A four-tier diagram: sensing targets, base stations that sense, the edge sensing function, and the services that consume the results.

• Targets: Drone, Vehicles, Rainfall
• Sensing radios: Base station, Base station
• Sensing function: Sensing function
• Consumers: Airspace service, Traffic, Weather service

9 links. Scenarios: Two radios sensing; One radio down.

03Data story

Higher bands, finer resolution, shorter reach.

Sensing resolution improves with bandwidth, and bandwidth lives higher in the spectrum, where free-space loss is greater³. The upper mid band between the 5G bands and millimetre waves is one focus of the 6G spectrum debate⁴.

Figure as text: Free-space loss at 1 km by band

A bar chart of free-space path loss at one kilometre for six bands from 700 MHz to 100 GHz.

04Timeline to 2030

The road to IMT-2030.

The ITU framework sets the goals; 3GPP studies and then specifies. The dates below are published; the last ones are plans, and plans in standardisation move.

Figure as text: From framework to 6G specifications

A timeline from 2023 to 2030 with the IMT-2030 framework, the ISAC study, the start of 6G study work and planned 6G specifications.

1. 2023-11 IMT-2030 framework published (ITU-R M.2160). Six usage scenarios including integrated sensing and communication.¹
2. 2023-12 WRC-23 sets the agenda for 2027. Studies of new bands for IMT, including in the upper mid band.⁴
3. 2024 Sensing use cases studied (3GPP TR 22.837). Integrated sensing and communication requirements in Release 19.²
4. 2025-06 6G study begins. 3GPP starts 6G radio studies in Release 20.⁵
5. 2029 First 6G specifications planned. Release 21.⁵
6. 2030 IMT-2030 radio interfaces. The ITU process aims to complete its specifications around 2030.¹