The Role of ISAC in 6G Networks: Enabling Next-Generation Wireless Systems
2025/10/06 by Qaisar, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Yuan, Weijie, Günlü, Onur +6 · 3 citations
#FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Electrical engineering #Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI) #Signal Processing (eess.SP) #electronic engineering #information engineering
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2510.04413
Abstract
The commencement of the sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks represents a fundamental shift in the integration of communication and sensing technologies to support next-generation applications. Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is a key concept in this evolution, enabling end-to-end support for both communication and sensing within a unified framework. It enhances spectrum efficiency, reduces latency, and supports diverse use cases, including smart cities, autonomous systems, and perceptive environments. This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of ISAC's role in 6G networks, beginning with its evolution since 5G and the technical drivers behind its adoption. Core principles and system variations of ISAC are introduced, followed by an in-depth discussion of the enabling technologies that facilitate its practical deployment. The paper further analyzes current research directions to highlight key challenges, open issues, and emerging trends. Design insights and recommendations are also presented to support future development and implementation. This work ultimately try to address three central questions: Why is ISAC essential for 6G? What innovations does it bring? How will it shape the future of wireless communication?
Citations
- ISAC: From Human to Environmental Sensing
- Cooperative Mapping, Localization, and Beam Management via Multi-Modal SLAM in ISAC Systems
- Constant Modulus Waveforms for IoT-Centric Integrated Sensing and Communications
- Frequency Range 3 for ISAC in 6G: Potentials and Challenges
- From Ground to Sky: Architectures, Applications, and Challenges Shaping Low-Altitude Wireless Networks
- Empowering Intelligent Low-altitude Economy with Large AI Model Deployment
- AI-Empowered Integrated Sensing and Communications
- Frequency Hopping Waveform Design for Secure Integrated Sensing and Communications
- Integrated Sensing and Communications Over the Years: An Evolution Perspective
- RIS-based Physical Layer Security for Integrated Sensing and Communication: A Comprehensive Survey
- On the Sensing Performance of FMCW-based Integrated Sensing and Communications with Arbitrary Constellations
- Integrating Sensing and Communications in 6G? Not Until It Is Secure to Do So
- Waveform and Filter Design for Integrated Sensing and Communication Against Signal-dependent Modulated Jamming
- Single-Carrier Waveform Design for Joint Sensing and Communication
- Generative AI Enabled Robust Data Augmentation for Wireless Sensing in ISAC Networks
- Embracing Reconfigurable Antennas in the Tri-hybrid MIMO Architecture for 6G and Beyond
- Integrated Sensing and Edge AI: Realizing Intelligent Perception in 6G
- Advancements in UAV-based Integrated Sensing and Communication: A Comprehensive Survey
- Multi-Functional RIS Integrated Sensing and Communications for 6G Networks
- Performance Analysis and Power Allocation for Massive MIMO ISAC Systems
- Affine Frequency Division Multiplexing with Index Modulation: Full Diversity Condition, Performance Analysis, and Low-Complexity Detection
- Affine Frequency Division Multiplexing With Index Modulation: Full Diversity Condition, Performance Analysis, and Low-Complexity Detection
- Edge Perception: Intelligent Wireless Sensing at Network Edge
- Low-Complexity Minimum BER Precoder Design for ISAC Systems: A Delay-Doppler Perspective
- Building a real-time physical layer labeled data logging facility for 6G research
- AI-Enhanced Integrated Sensing and Communications: Advancements, Challenges, and Prospects
- Scalable Multivariate Fronthaul Quantization for Cell-Free Massive MIMO
- Full-Duplex ISAC-Enabled D2D Underlaid Cellular Networks: Joint Transceiver Beamforming and Power Allocation
- A Survey on Integrated Sensing, Communication, and Computation
- RIS-Assisted Cell-Free Massive MIMO Relying on Reflection Pattern Modulation
- B-ISAC: Backscatter Integrated Sensing and Communication for IoE Applications
- Interference Management in MIMO-ISAC Systems: A Transceiver Design Approach
- Optimized Waveform Design for OFDM-based ISAC Systems Under Limited Resource Occupancy
- Multicarrier ISAC: Advances in Waveform Design, Signal Processing and Learning under Non-Idealities
- Multicarrier ISAC: Advances in waveform design, signal processing, and learning under nonidealities
- Semantic Revolution from Communications to Orchestration for 6G: Challenges, Enablers, and Research Directions
- Multi-Static ISAC based on Network-Assisted Full-Duplex Cell-Free Networks: Performance Analysis and Duplex Mode Optimization
- Integrated Sensing and Communications Framework for 6G Networks
- Networked Integrated Sensing and Communications for 6G Wireless Systems
- ISAC-Assisted Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks with Multiple Mobile Charging Vehicles
- The Integrated Sensing and Communication Revolution for 6G: Vision, Techniques, and Applications
- Multiple-Target Detection in Cell-Free Massive MIMO-Assisted ISAC
- Integrated Sensing and Communication Under DISCO Physical-Layer Jamming Attacks
- Complex Neural Network based Joint AoA and AoD Estimation for Bistatic ISAC
- Environment Reconstruction based on Multi-User Selection and Multi-Modal Fusion in ISAC
- Interference Management for Integrated Sensing and Communication Systems: A Survey
- Superposed IM-OFDM (S-IM-OFDM): An Enhanced OFDM for Integrated Sensing and Communications
- Deep Cooperation in ISAC System: Resource, Node and Infrastructure Perspectives
- Integrated Sensing and Communication Meets Smart Propagation Engineering: Opportunities and Challenges
- Environment Semantic Communication: Enabling Distributed Sensing Aided Networks
- Towards 6G Evolution: Three Enhancements, Three Innovations, and Three Major Challenges
- Fundamental Trade-Offs in Monostatic ISAC: A Holistic Investigation Towards 6G
- Joint Semantic Communication and Target Sensing for 6G Communication System
- A Survey on Integrated Sensing and Communication with Intelligent Metasurfaces: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
- Index Modulation for Integrated Sensing and Communications: A Signal Processing Perspective
- End-to-End Learning for SLP-Based ISAC Systems
- Will 6G be Semantic Communications? Opportunities and Challenges from Task Oriented and Secure Communications to Integrated Sensing
- Multiple Access Techniques for Intelligent and Multi-Functional 6G: Tutorial, Survey, and Outlook
- The Bridge Toward 6G: 5G-Advanced Evolution in 3GPP Release 19
- Waveform Design for OFDM-based ISAC Systems Under Resource Occupancy Constraint
- Secure-ISAC: Secure V2X Communication: An Integrated Sensing and Communication Perspective
- From OTFS to DD-ISAC: Integrating Sensing and Communications in the Delay Doppler Domain
- Integrated Sensing and Communications in Clutter Environment
- Random ISAC Signals Deserve Dedicated Precoding
- Random ISAC Signals Deserve Dedicated Precoding
- RIS-Aided Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems for 6G: Fundamentals, System Design, and Applications
- Integrated Sensing and Communications for IoT: Synergies with Key 6G Technology Enablers
- Sensing as a Service in 6G Perceptive Mobile Networks: Architecture, Advances, and the Road Ahead
- Communication-Sensing Region for Cell-Free Massive MIMO ISAC Systems
- A Tutorial on Extremely Large-Scale MIMO for 6G: Fundamentals, Signal Processing, and Applications
- ISAC-NET: Model-driven Deep Learning for Integrated Passive Sensing and Communication
- Rate-Splitting Multiple Access for 6G Networks: Ten Promising Scenarios and Applications
- Task-Oriented Integrated Sensing, Computation and Communication for Wireless Edge AI
- Task-Oriented Metaverse Design in the 6G Era
- 5G-Advanced Toward 6G: Past, Present, and Future
- An Overview of Resource Allocation in Integrated Sensing and Communication
- Integrated Sensing and Communications: Recent Advances and Ten Open Challenges
- Secure Integrated Sensing and Communication
- On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies and Testbeds
- On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies, and Testbeds
- ISAC-Enabled V2I Networks Based on 5G NR: How Much Can the Overhead Be Reduced?
- Integrated Sensing and Communication System via Dual-Domain Waveform Superposition
- Integrated Sensing and Communication: Joint Pilot and Transmission Design
- Pushing AI to Wireless Network Edge: An Overview on Integrated Sensing, Communication, and Computation towards 6G
- Full-Duplex Communication for ISAC: Joint Beamforming and Power Optimization
- Seventy Years of Radar and Communications: The road from separation to integration
- Integrated Sensing and Communication for 6G: Ten Key Machine Learning Roles
- Terahertz-Band Integrated Sensing and Communications: Challenges and Opportunities
- Twelve Scientific Challenges for 6G: Rethinking the Foundations of Communications Theory
- Integrated Sensing and Communication with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Opportunities, Applications, and Future Directions
- Vehicular Connectivity on Complex Trajectories: Roadway-Geometry Aware ISAC Beam-tracking
- Post-Disaster Communications: Enabling Technologies, Architectures, and Open Challenges
- Sensing as a Service in 6G Perceptive Networks: A Unified Framework for ISAC Resource Allocation
- An Experimental Proof of Concept for Integrated Sensing and Communications Waveform Design
- Hybrid Self-Organizing Networks: Evolution, Standardization Trends, and a 6G Architecture Vision
- Integrated Sensing and Communications: Towards Dual-functional Wireless Networks for 6G and Beyond
- Integrated Sensing and Communications: Toward Dual-Functional Wireless Networks for 6G and Beyond
- Towards Multi-Functional 6G Wireless Networks: Integrating Sensing, Communication and Security
- Evolution of Non-Terrestrial Networks From 5G to 6G: A Survey
- Multi-objective Low-altitude IRS-assisted ISAC Optimization via Generative AI-enhanced Deep Reinforcement Learning
- CP-OFDM Achieves the Lowest Average Ranging Sidelobe Under QAM/PSK Constellations
Cited by
Related