The next generation of mobile networks is expected to bring much more than faster downloads and lower latency. The technologies being prepared for 6G expect the mobile network to not only cover its surroundings with a signal, but also be able to perceive it. Researchers openly point out that in some cases it may even be about recognizing a person's movement, breathing or data related to their heartbeat.
At first glance, it sounds like a technology from a science fiction movie. In fact, it is one of the areas that is being intensively worked on in connection with future 6G networks. It is called Integrated Sensing and Communication, or ISAC, and its principle is quite simple: radio signals are not only intended to transmit data, but also to sense the surrounding environment. In other words, part of the mobile network infrastructure can function similarly to radar. Information about the position, movement or properties of objects in space can be obtained from the reflections of radio waves. This type of sensing is considered one of the important components of future communication networks.
The mobile network may gain a whole new "meaning"
Most people think of today's mobile network primarily as an invisible infrastructure that connects the phone to the base station. With 6G, this role may expand significantly. ISAC is intended to allow the same radio resources to be used simultaneously for communication and sensing. The network will not necessarily need a separate radar infrastructure, as part of this function can be taken over by elements already used for wireless communication itself.
The potential uses are vast. The technology could help autonomous cars, robots, industrial systems, or smart cities. For example, it could record the movement of an object, monitor the situation in a certain space, or help with navigation where conventional camera systems are not an ideal solution. But the very same feature that makes ISAC an extremely interesting technology also raises questions about privacy.
Researchers also talk about breathing and heartbeat
A new study focused directly on 6G privacy divides the data that ISAC can collect or derive from it into several levels. In addition to location and environmental information, this also includes behavioral data, such as movement or recognition of human activity. The most sensitive category, however, is physiological information. In advanced cases, the researchers say, radio systems could allow data related to breathing rate or heart rate to be collected.
This does not mean that every future 6G antenna will automatically measure the heartbeat of every person who passes by it. These are capabilities that research is addressing in similar technologies and that will depend on specific hardware, frequencies, algorithms, distance, and deployment method. This boundary is important. 6G is not yet a ready-made standard commonly deployed by operators, and many of its capabilities are still being developed. However, the potential for radio sensing is so significant that security experts are starting to address the problem even before the technology is widely deployed.
You don't need to have any equipment.
One of the most sensitive issues concerns people who don't have to actively consent to being scanned. With a classic smartphone, you can at least control app permissions to some extent or turn off some sensors. ProHowever, radio wave sensing is different. Information can be generated by analyzing how the signal propagates through the environment and how it reflects off objects and people.
The researchers therefore draw attention, among other things, to the problem of so-called bystanders, i.e. people within range of the system who may not be its users. In addition to the consent itself, transparency, ownership of the obtained data or their possible use for profiling are also addressed. This is a fundamental difference compared to regular monitoring via telephone. In theory, a person does not have to be the source of the signal in the classical sense. He or she can become an object from which radio waves are reflected.
6G as a giant radar? It's not that simple
When describing the new technology, it is easy to imagine that the operator will get a kind of X-ray view of all the inhabitants of the city. The current state of development does not allow such a claim. ISAC capabilities will depend on the specific network architecture, the frequencies used, the placement of transmitters, the quality of the reflected signal and, above all, on the algorithms that will process the data.
But research clearly shows that mobile networks are moving towards a model in which the radio infrastructure can be both a communication and a sensor system. Samsung, for example, described 6G ISAC this year as a way to create a distributed layer capable of sensing the surrounding environment from existing communication infrastructure. And the technology is not just a remote laboratory concept. Vodafoneone and Tiami Networks have already tested ISAC principles on 5G infrastructure and, as part of the experiment, were able to detect objects and people that were not connected devices themselves.
Privacy protection is starting to be addressed now
The good news is that the problem is not being ignored. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute ETSI published a report on the security, privacy and sustainability of ISAC in 2026. The document draws attention, for example, to unauthorized sensing, data protection, human privacy or the secure processing of information obtained using the network's sensory functions. In total, ETSI identified 19 important areas, 15 of which relate to security and privacy. Developers and researchers are therefore working on methods to build privacy protection directly into the technology. These include mechanisms for controlling access to data, obtaining consent, limiting the accuracy of certain types of sensing or processing information in a way that makes it impossible to easily identify a specific person. ISAC security research also addresses protection directly at the radio signal level. The methods examined include, for example, artificial noise or other procedures to prevent unauthorized acquisition of sensitive information.
6G is expected around 2030
The mass launch of the new generation of mobile networks is still several years away. 6G is generally associated with the period around 2030, and the resulting form of the technology may still change significantly. However, it is already clear today that this time it will not only be about another number on the phone display and higher internet speeds. If current plans come true, the mobile network of the future will be able not only to communicate with smartphones, cars, robots and other electronics, but also to perceive the physical environment in which these devices are located in much more detail.
And this is where one of the biggest controversies surrounding 6G will likely take place. On the one hand, the same technology can help with traffic accidents, monitor dangerous situations, protect workers, or check a person's health without contact. On the other hand, it can create surveillance capabilities that today's mobile networks simply don't have. The question will therefore not only be what 6G can technically do. Much more important may be who we allow to use these capabilities, under what conditions, and what control the person themselves will have over them.
