Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) merges radar-like sensing and wireless data transmission into a single network infrastructure – same spectrum, same hardware, two functions at once. The technology is moving fast, from academic concept to 3GPP standardization to early commercial interest. This article covers where the market stands today, what real-world use cases for private networks look like, and what system integrators and IT teams should plan for.
A warehouse runs a private 5G network. Automated guided vehicles navigate the floor, forklift operators share space with mobile robots, and the network handles all the communication. But what if those same radio signals could also detect where every person and machine is, in real time, without any additional hardware? That is the core promise of ISAC – one system, one spectrum, two functions running in parallel.
The concept has been in research labs for years. Right now, in 2026, it is crossing into active standardization, early commercial interest, and serious enterprise planning. The major vendors – Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei – are all investing in it. Standards bodies are formalizing it. And the enterprise use cases are becoming concrete enough to build business cases around. If you work in private networks or industrial connectivity, ISAC is worth understanding not as a distant 6G abstraction, but as something that will shape network design and purchasing decisions within the next three to five years.
What ISAC Actually Does
Traditional networks treat communication and sensing as separate jobs. Radar systems detect objects. Cellular systems move data. They use different hardware, different spectrum, and different engineering disciplines. ISAC argues that this separation is inefficient and unnecessary.
By co-designing transmission waveforms to carry sensing information alongside data, ISAC systems can detect objects, measure distances, track movement, and map environments using signals already in use for connectivity. No extra radar hardware. No dedicated sensing spectrum. According to research from Keysight Technologies and MediaTek, demonstrations in late 2025 showed superior spectral efficiency compared to current 5G approaches – meaningful at scale even when efficiency gains are in single digits.
Where the Market Stands in 2026
WiseGuy Reports values the global ISAC market at $4.4 billion in 2024, growing to $25 billion by 2035 at a 17.1% CAGR. North America leads with roughly 35 percent of global revenue; Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region. The real momentum right now is on the standards side.
At the 3GPP RAN #108 meeting in June 2025, ISAC was officially designated a ‘Day 1’ feature for 6G – baked in from launch rather than added later. 5G Advanced (Release 20) will introduce the first standardized sensing features, covering base station monostatic sensing and UAV detection. Full ISAC integration is a 6G story, with commercial deployment targeted around 2029 to 2030.
That timeline matters now. The private network architecture decisions being made today will either support ISAC capabilities as they roll out or require expensive rework later.
The Use Cases Driving Enterprise Interest
· Manufacturing and Warehousing
This is where ISAC makes its most compelling near-term case. A private 5G network in a manufacturing facility already handles AGV navigation, robotics, and OT connectivity. With ISAC, the same infrastructure simultaneously performs real-time collision avoidance, tracks worker locations without wearables, and maps the floor continuously – a safety-critical function that manufacturers will pay a significant premium for, given the liability exposure in human-robot shared spaces.
· Healthcare Monitoring
ISAC enables fall detection, patient movement tracking, and vital sign estimation using existing wireless infrastructure – no wearables required. This matters in settings such as memory care units and surgical recovery, where device compliance is challenging and continuous passive monitoring would be genuinely valuable. Research prototypes have already demonstrated range measurement errors of less than 0.3 meters and angle estimation within 2.3 degrees, which are precise enough for most clinical monitoring applications.
· Ports, Logistics, and UAV Security
Connected fleets at ports and airports – environments where private cellular deployments are already common – can use ISAC to sense the operating environment through the same channel that carries navigation data. UAV detection is also emerging as an early commercial priority: the U.S. Department of Defense has identified it as a strategic research area, and 5G Advanced is expected to support bi-static sensing specifically for drone detection.
| PRO TIP: Ask Your Vendor About ISAC Readiness Now When evaluating private 5G vendors today, add ISAC to your RFI checklist. Ask specifically: Does your radio hardware support dual-function radar-communication waveforms? Is your core network compatible with 3GPP Release 19 sensing service requirements? What is your roadmap for ISAC in 5G Advanced? You are not buying ISAC today – you are making sure that when you do, you are not starting from zero. Vendors who cannot answer these questions may leave you with expensive infrastructure decisions to revisit in two to three years. |
Sensing as a Service: A New Revenue Line
ISAC introduces a monetization model that changes the economics of private network ownership. 5G Americas describes it as ‘Sensing as a Service’ – operators offering sensing inference (location data, movement patterns, occupancy analytics) as an API-based service. A port operator running a private cellular network could monetize real-time vessel positions, container movement data, and personnel location – all from infrastructure already deployed for communication.
Qualcomm’s VP of Engineering, Tao Luo, described ISAC at MWC as an opportunity to leverage existing cellular infrastructure to serve dual roles: network optimization and new service offerings. 3GPP Release 19 began formalizing the commercial framework, including requirements for charging, authorization, and third-party exposure of sensing results. ISAC adds a revenue line to the private network ROI equation – a shift that changes the C-suite conversation. The article Building the Enterprise Case: Presenting Private Network ROI to the C-Suite is worth revisiting with this in mind.
The Challenges That Still Need Solving
The hardest technical problem is waveform co-design. Optimizing a signal for communication and for sensing pulls in different directions, requiring sophisticated tradeoffs – particularly when AI is needed to interpret sensing data in real time. Spectrum allocation adds further complexity: C-band is already congested, while higher FR2 and FR3 bands offer sensing precision but limited coverage. Private networks navigating CBRS spectrum decisions will face new considerations as ISAC matures.
The skills gap already affecting enterprise networking teams will also deepen. Designing a network that functions as both a communication system and a sensing platform requires expertise spanning RF engineering, radar signal processing, AI/ML, and network operations – a combination that is rare today, and one that will only grow more valuable as ISAC moves from standards document to deployed infrastructure.
What This Means for You Right Now
If you are a system integrator, ISAC should be entering your technical conversations now. Ask vendors about 5G Advanced ISAC roadmaps, audit whether current deployment architectures will support sensing capabilities as standards mature, and build expertise in sensing use cases for your key verticals. The questions enterprises and SIs can’t afford to leave unanswered about private wireless and the AI edge are a practical starting point.
If you are in enterprise IT or operational technology, the priority is architecture awareness. You do not need to deploy ISAC today, but ensure your infrastructure choices do not lock you out of it. Ask vendors about 3GPP Release 19 and 5G Advanced compatibility, revisit your spectrum strategy, and start mapping what sensing-derived data could mean for your operations. The companies that do this homework now will move considerably faster when 6G arrives – and those that wait will spend their first two years catching up on architecture, not capturing opportunity.
The convergence of sensing and communication into a single network layer is one of the most consequential shifts in wireless infrastructure in decades. Understanding ISAC now – before it becomes a procurement line item – is exactly the kind of preparation that separates early movers from the ones playing catch-up.
FAQ
What is ISAC and how is it different from a standard 5G network?
ISAC merges radar-like sensing with data communication into a single radio system. A standard 5G network carries data. An ISAC-enabled network does that while simultaneously detecting objects, tracking movement, and mapping environments using the same spectrum and hardware.
Is ISAC available on private 5G networks today?
Not at a commercial scale. The first standardized sensing features are expected in 5G Advanced (Release 20), with full ISAC capability targeted for 6G deployment around 2029 to 2030. Some vendor demonstrations exist, but widespread enterprise deployment is a few years away.
What are the most practical enterprise use cases for ISAC?
Manufacturing and warehousing are the most immediately compelling, particularly for AGV collision avoidance and worker safety. Healthcare monitoring, port and airport logistics, and UAV detection are also generating strong interest from enterprise buyers and defense agencies.
What does ‘Sensing as a Service’ mean, and who benefits?
Sensing as a Service means making ISAC-derived data – location, movement, occupancy – available as an API-driven service to third parties or internal business units. It adds a revenue dimension to private network ownership, changing how enterprises justify the investment.
What should system integrators be doing about ISAC right now?
Ask equipment vendors about 5G Advanced and ISAC roadmaps, audit whether current deployment architectures will support sensing capabilities as standards mature, and build internal expertise in sensing use cases for key verticals. The goal is to ensure clients’ infrastructure choices don’t create costly obstacles from 2027 to 2030.
Where can I go deeper on the intersection of private wireless, sovereign AI, and enterprise connectivity?
The PrivateLTEand5G.com Connected AI Edge Virtual Bootcamp Series runs from May through December 2026 – nine focused sessions designed specifically for enterprise IT/OT leaders, systems integrators, and MSPs navigating exactly these decisions. Sessions cover private 5G architecture, IT/OT convergence, AIoT device ecosystems, programmable networks, and vertical-specific deployments across manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and higher education. Every bootcamp ends with a Pro Tips segment – practitioner-sourced, immediately actionable, and compiled into a downloadable reference card after each session. The series is built for people making real deployment decisions, not vendor roadmap watchers. Sessions are recorded and available on-demand to registered attendees. If the compliance and infrastructure questions raised in this article are live issues for your organization or your clients, this is the community and the curriculum to work through them with. View the full program and register at PrivateLTEand5G.com.
