Technical Overview and Trend for Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC)

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), which aims to enable the secondary use of radio waves, has been actively discussed in recent years. As we move toward the fifth-generation advanced (5G-A) and sixth-generation (6G) era, sensing technologies are expected to play a key role in this technological evolution. Sensing can be considered from two perspectives: enhancing 5G-A/6G performance through sensing and advancing sensing capabilities by leveraging 5G-A/6G infrastructure. This paper outlines the trends in ISAC standardization, representative use cases, and key technical considerations. It also discusses essential channel models for ISAC research and reviews recent technological trends. Furthermore, this paper introduces research and development activities being conducted in Japan.