ETSI is accelerating work on next-generation 6G technologies with the launch of four new initiatives focused on integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), an area seen as critical to the evolution of future mobile networks.
At a plenary session in Sophia Antipolis, France, on 22nd December 2025, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute said it would approve four new Work Items designed to address architecture, security, artificial intelligence, and commercial adoption challenges associated with ISAC.
The projects, identified by ETSI members, aim to embed security and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence into ISAC development, while tackling architectural issues that researchers believe will be central to 6G systems.
One Work Item will examine enhanced system and radio access network architectures, as the industry moves closer to deploying next-generation wireless systems. ETSI said this work would help identify key architectural requirements for 6G and provide guidance on deployment models, supporting the development of sustainable sensing services.
A second initiative will focus on security, privacy, resilience, and trustworthiness. As ISAC introduces new types of environmental and contextual data, the Work Item is intended to ensure that protections are built into deployments from the outset. It will develop a framework for secure ISAC operations, aimed not only at standardisation but also at helping network operators and the wider telecoms ecosystem operationalise the technology.
Artificial intelligence and data handling will be addressed in a third Work Item, reflecting the growing role of AI in interpreting sensing data, enabling situational awareness, and optimising communications. ETSI said the objective is to improve interoperability and implementation of AI and machine learning-assisted ISAC, as well as ISAC-enabled AI, in future 6G systems.
The fourth initiative will focus on demonstrability, adoption, and technology evolution. This work will assess techno-economics, interactions with existing and emerging technologies, and practical demonstrations, with the aim of clarifying the business value of ISAC and supporting its commercial uptake in both standardised and non-standardised systems.
ETSI said the approval of the four Work Items marked a decisive step in securing the long-term development of ISAC and reflected a more holistic approach to standardisation, spanning architecture, security, intelligence, and future-proofing.
“ISAC is entering its next stage of maturity, and driving standardisation now is essential to bringing the technology to a wider audience and enabling industry to realise its full benefits,” said Alain Mourad, Chair ISAC ISG at ETSI. “The success of any technology is determined by its adoption, and our work within ETSI is helping to define ISAC’s potential and make it accessible as an industrial resource, moving it beyond the confines of research laboratories.”
ETSI is one of three bodies officially recognised by the European Union as a European Standards Organisation. The independent, not-for-profit organisation has more than 900 member organisations from over 60 countries and develops globally applicable standards for information and communications technologies across a wide range of sectors.
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