Samsung is testing a new role for mobile networks beyond connectivity. The company believes networks could help detect real-world activity without cameras.
The concept relies on ISAC, or Integrated Sensing and Communication. This technology uses normal radio signals to understand nearby movement and objects. It forms part of early work toward 6G.
The idea gained attention after a trial with Verizon in Dallas. The companies used network infrastructure at a live sporting event. They measured crowd density and movement in near real time.
“In a nutshell, ISAC reframes the whole mobile communication system as a distributed sensing platform,” Samsung Electronics America Director of Technology, Sanil Ramachandran, tells Mobile Europe.
The method uses signals that mobile networks already create. These signals travel between devices and base stations. Buildings, cars, drones, and people change those signals as they move.
“Traditionally, in these systems, you transmit radio signals. It bounces off whatever environment they are in, whether it’s a building, a nearby car, or even a drone flying by.” Ramachandran explains.
“In ISAC, the integrated sensing and communication system, it reframes the whole idea of this communication, and it tries to leverage those impairments to understand and be aware of the surroundings.”
For operators, this could unlock new value from existing sites. Networks may support sensing services alongside normal data traffic. Enterprises could monitor spaces without always installing separate sensors.
During the Dallas trial, the partners used commercial 5G devices and CBRS spectrum. They also used Samsung’s virtualised RAN and an AI-based application. The system then produced estimates of crowd levels and movement.
“We were able to detect the density of the crowd in real time using this technology and see them moving, also in real time,” he says.
This approach could interest stadiums, transport hubs, and large venues. Today, many locations depend on cameras and analytics platforms. ISAC offers another route, especially where privacy matters.
“You’re using the existing mobile communication infrastructure to generate similar heat maps without actually using any cameras,” he says.
“It does not identify individuals. It is a density of the people, whether there is a higher crowd, which is medium crowd versus low crowd – a gradient and a heat map, not an identification of people itself or individuals themselves.”
However, the technology still faces demanding requirements. Radio environments produce huge amounts of data. AI models must interpret tiny signal changes with strong accuracy.
“It takes a lot of compute to learn and relearn and then retrain the algorithms to make sure that we have the accuracy of the detection,” he explains.
Samsung also sees uses beyond crowd monitoring. Possible applications include drone detection, intrusion alerts, industrial safety, and connected vehicles. These services could help networks become environmental awareness platforms.
Still, commercial deployment will need strong standards and reliable performance. Operators must also address privacy, security, and service responsibility. These questions will matter before ISAC becomes mainstream.
For now, Samsung is using today’s networks to shape tomorrow’s systems.
“What we’re trying to do is we are trying to validate the technology concepts over 5G so that we take these learnings and make sure that when you standardise the 6G with ISAC, these learnings can be useful,” he concludes.
