Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Baena, Eduardo, Krishnan, Rajesh, Vu, Mai, Zussman, Gil, Koutsonikolas, Dimitrios
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.03607
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915832913723392
author Baena, Eduardo
Krishnan, Rajesh
Vu, Mai
Zussman, Gil
Koutsonikolas, Dimitrios
author_facet Baena, Eduardo
Krishnan, Rajesh
Vu, Mai
Zussman, Gil
Koutsonikolas, Dimitrios
contents ISAC is an emerging paradigm in 6G networks that enables environmental sensing using wireless communication infrastructure. Current O-RAN specifications lack the architectural primitives for sensing integration: no service models expose physical-layer observables, no execution frameworks support sub-millisecond sensing tasks, and fronthaul interfaces cannot correlate transmitted waveforms with their reflections. This article proposes three extensions to O-RAN for monostatic sensing, where transmission and reception are co-located at the base station. First, we specify sensing dApps at the O-DU that process IQ samples to extract delay, Doppler, and angular features. Second, we define E2SM-SENS, a service model enabling xApps to subscribe to sensing telemetry with configurable periodicity. Third, we identify required Open Fronthaul metadata for waveform-echo association. We validate the architecture through a prototype implementation using beamforming and Full-Duplex operation, demonstrating closed-loop control with median end-to-end latency suitable for near-real-time sensing applications. While focused on monostatic configurations, the proposed interfaces extend to bistatic and cooperative sensing scenarios.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_03607
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Toward Native ISAC Support in O-RAN Architectures for 6G
Baena, Eduardo
Krishnan, Rajesh
Vu, Mai
Zussman, Gil
Koutsonikolas, Dimitrios
Networking and Internet Architecture
ISAC is an emerging paradigm in 6G networks that enables environmental sensing using wireless communication infrastructure. Current O-RAN specifications lack the architectural primitives for sensing integration: no service models expose physical-layer observables, no execution frameworks support sub-millisecond sensing tasks, and fronthaul interfaces cannot correlate transmitted waveforms with their reflections. This article proposes three extensions to O-RAN for monostatic sensing, where transmission and reception are co-located at the base station. First, we specify sensing dApps at the O-DU that process IQ samples to extract delay, Doppler, and angular features. Second, we define E2SM-SENS, a service model enabling xApps to subscribe to sensing telemetry with configurable periodicity. Third, we identify required Open Fronthaul metadata for waveform-echo association. We validate the architecture through a prototype implementation using beamforming and Full-Duplex operation, demonstrating closed-loop control with median end-to-end latency suitable for near-real-time sensing applications. While focused on monostatic configurations, the proposed interfaces extend to bistatic and cooperative sensing scenarios.
title Toward Native ISAC Support in O-RAN Architectures for 6G
topic Networking and Internet Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.03607