Joint Communication and Sensing in 6G Networks

2026-07-22

Having lost a significant share of the market to big players from the US and Asia, Europe is no longer at the forefront of the telecommunication industry. However, new services focusing on remote health monitoring, industry 4.0, and autonomous vehicles have created a unique opportunity for Europe to regain a leading position in 6G. Unlike traditional mobile broadband that mainly connect people, these emerging services not only exchange data but also critically rely on accurate information from their surroundings (i.e., sensing). Consequently, joint communication and sensing (JCAS) is a key feature of 6G networks, where devices will embed wireless sensing capabilities (e.g., localisation, activity recognition). JCAS faces major challenges since it demands fundamental changes to current communication systems. 6thSense follows a holistic approach to address these challenges by: (WP1) Going beyond traditional sub-6GHz systems and enabling sensing in new B5G/6G communication bands, i.e., millimetre-wave and visible light; (WP2) Addressing distributed sensing and networking challenges through architecture and protocol design; (WP3) Handling the analytical complexity of JCAS by combining the strengths of classical signal processing and optimisation models with advanced machine learning techniques; (WP4) Transferring these research contributions to industry-relevant applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and automotive sectors. 6thSense is an intersectoral and interdisciplinary cluster of excellence formed by electrical engineers and computer scientists that has pooled leading members of large EU initiatives (5G PPP), industry leaders (e.g., Nokia, Ford, Bosch) and academic institutions (e.g., KUL, TUDelft, Princeton, UCLA). Benefitting from this consortium, a comprehensive soft-skill training (WP5) and a tailored dissemination and exploitation strategy (WP6), the 10 PhD fellows will become highly employable in various industries, academia, or public government bodies.

Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Finland

2026-02-15