Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) and the Rise of Networks that Can See

Wireless networks have traditionally been designed to connect people, devices, and systems, but that same infrastructure is increasingly helping organizations understand what is happening around them. Using radio frequency signals and techniques like signal processing and AI, Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) brings sensing capabilities into existing wireless networks. Although 6G is anticipated to increase ISAC capabilities, the technology can already be explored through current 5G networks, giving ​​the federal government ​​​​the chance to build new forms of situational awareness without the need for specialized sensing infrastructure.

In this episode of the Government Technology Insider podcast, host Matt Langan spoke with John Macias, Associate Fellow Systems Architect at Verizon, and Amitav Mukherjee, Founder and CEO at Tiami Networks, about how ISAC could transform sensing in defense and homeland security. ​​The discussion touched on​​​​ how passive, monostatic, and bistatic sensing models can support various operational requirements and how existing 5G transmissions can be used to detect and track objects, including drones that might otherwise be difficult to identify. Their conversation also explored how ISAC could extend beyond drone detection to other applications like crowd monitoring, digital twins, and eventually longer-range sensing.​ ​