e& UAE and Khalifa University publish industry roadmap for 6G integrated sensing

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 29th July 2026: e& UAE and Khalifa University have published a new industry-focused study in the IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, setting out how Integrated Sensing and Communication, or ISAC, could progress from an emerging 6G capability towards practical deployment and commercially viable services for operators, industries and government entities.

Titled "Integrated Sensing and Communication in 6G: A Comprehensive Survey of Use Cases, Enabling Technologies, Standardization Roadmap, and Monetization Frameworks," the peer-reviewed paper assesses the technical, commercial and standardisation requirements needed to translate ISAC into real-world applications. The study builds on the organisations' earlier work on AI-native 6G architecture, shifting the focus from network design to the deployment and commercial potential of integrated sensing.

ISAC is expected to become one of the defining capabilities of 6G, enabling mobile networks to support communications and environmental sensing using shared radio infrastructure, spectrum and signal-processing capabilities.

Marwan Bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer, e& UAE, said: "The value of 6G will depend on the industry's ability to translate advanced technologies into deployable services and sustainable business models. This joint applied research provides a practical framework for identifying where integrated sensing can create value and how investment, network evolution and standardisation can be aligned."

Prof. Bayan Sharif, Provost, Khalifa University, said: "At Khalifa University, we believe that the greatest value of research lies in its ability to address real-world challenges and create meaningful impact. Our collaboration with e& UAE reflects the power of bringing together academic excellence and industry expertise to accelerate innovation in technologies that will shape the future of communications. Beyond advancing scientific knowledge, this work contributes to the development of international 6G standards while supporting Abu Dhabi's vision of building a globally competitive, knowledge-based economy driven by research, innovation and strategic partnerships."

For communication service providers, this creates an opportunity to extend the role of the network beyond connectivity and develop new services for industrial automation, transportation, drone and airspace management, smart cities, smart buildings, healthcare and network optimisation.

The publication assesses more than 30 ISAC use cases across eight industry domains and introduces a multi-criteria framework to help operators and industry stakeholders prioritise opportunities based on monetisation potential, market scale, technical feasibility, time to market and strategic value.

The study identifies industrial automation, connected transportation and low-altitude airspace management among the strongest early commercial opportunities, reflecting their operational, safety and enterprise requirements.

It also outlines practical monetisation models for operators, including Sensing-as-a-Service platforms, secure sensing APIs, vertical industry solutions, sensing-enabled network slices and premium context-aware services.

By combining communications and sensing through common infrastructure, ISAC could allow operators to provide wide-area sensing capabilities at a lower incremental cost than deploying entirely separate radar, camera or sensor networks.

The paper also compares ISAC with radar, LiDAR, cameras and other sensing technologies, positioning mobile-network sensing as a complementary layer that can provide broad coverage, resilience, privacy and infrastructure efficiency.

From a standardisation perspective, the study reviews relevant activity across ITU-R IMT-2030, 3GPP, ETSI ISG ISAC and IEEE 802.11bf, providing an industry reference for the evolution from early sensing capabilities towards native 6G implementations.

The publication reflects the UAE's growing contribution to the global development of 6G technologies and standards. It also highlights the role of collaboration between national industry and academia in shaping future network architectures, commercial models and international standardisation priorities.