- ISAC allows smartphones to detect unconnected objects without interfering with connectivity services
- Echo-based pulses let mobile networks visualize their surroundings, like bats in the dark
- ISAC trials successfully detected people and objects without disrupting mobile functions
Integrated Sensing and Communication, or ISAC, is a technology which converts ordinary smartphones into radar-like sensors capable of detecting unconnected objects in real time.
Vodafone and Tiami Networks are testing ISAC to explore how smartphones could warn people about nearby dangers.
The pair are also examining its potential to monitor crowded areas, detect intruders, and support tasks in industrial and environmental settings.
Vodafone and Tiami test ISAC
The new system relies on echo-based pulses, similar to the echolocation bats use to navigate dark environments, allowing mobile networks to visualize their surroundings without additional hardware.
Users could theoretically receive alerts about crowded spaces, nearby hazards, or other dangerous situations simply through their devices, and industries and public facilities could monitor intruders, unauthorized drones, or environmental risks.
ISAC could track natural disasters and monitor livestock, offering real-time insights in areas that are hard to observe directly, and could also create 3D maps using smart glasses, detect contaminated food, and assist robots in understanding human hand gestures.
Although ISAC is expected to play a central role in future 6G networks, which may begin operating around 2030, the technology can function over existing 5G infrastructure.
Vodafone and Tiami Networks conducted trials at Vodafone’s Málaga R&D facility in Spain, employing Tiami’s PolyRAN software to turn base stations into wide-area sensors.
“Our vision for PolyRAN is simple. Deploying ISAC should be as seamless as enabling a software application within a 5G network without disrupting existing connectivity services,” said Amitav Mukherjee, CEO and Founder of Tiami Networks.
“Testing with Vodafone allows us to evaluate realistic performance and deployment pathways with a leading operator that is deeply engaged in 6G research.”
During these trials, unconnected objects and even people were successfully detected across a live 5G network without causing any interference to voice calls, messaging, or internet usage.
This means ISAC’s adoption does not require a complete network overhaul, making the technology more immediately applicable.
The trials also explored interoperability between different vendors’ hardware and software through Open RAN-compliant antennas.
This flexibility allows mobile networks to integrate new sensing capabilities through software updates rather than expensive equipment replacements.
By transforming base stations into intelligent edge computing platforms, operators can perform advanced environmental sensing alongside traditional connectivity services.
Beyond industrial or urban monitoring, ISAC could influence personal safety and everyday convenience.
Business phones may alert users to hazardous conditions in crowded transport hubs or to hidden maintenance issues, such as burst pipes, within buildings.
“Our 6G-ready test shows that your phone could soon do a lot more than connect you. It could be used to help keep you safe wherever you go,” said Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture, Vodafone.
The technology could also support privacy-conscious public applications, for example, counting visitors in a shopping mall without relying on cameras.
While the full scope of ISAC remains to be proven, initial trials indicate that turning ordinary smartphones into active environmental sensors is technically feasible.
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