The groundbreaking field trial reinforces the value of the strategic partnership between Samsung and Verizon. Operating one of the world’s largest commercial virtualized networks, Verizon has led the charge in deploying a software-driven, AI-powered virtualized RAN (vRAN). This laid the foundation for a 6G-ready platform necessary to bring experimental use cases from concept to real-world validation — highlighting the flexibility of Samsung’s adaptable vRAN, which enables operators to introduce new capabilities like ISAC from day one by leveraging the commercial network they already run.

In the ISAC trial, Samsung integrated commercial AI-powered vRAN and vCore with an ISAC application, deploying them on its Network in a Server (NIS) — an end-to-end software-driven edge-AI platform that consolidates all network functions and accelerated compute into a single server. This allowed the ISAC trial to leverage connectivity from a 5G network without the need for any additional equipment.

Acting as a sensing receiver, a CBRS¹ radio unit using 40 MHz of spectrum mounted on a Verizon Cell-On-Wheels (COW) captured channel variations in transmissions from a commercial 5G device. Samsung’s NIS then analyzed this real-time data, utilizing the accelerated compute to extract actionable insights that are visualized as a crowd density heatmap that changes in near-real time to reflect people’s movements.²

Operating live at the event, the ISAC system used wireless signals as a sensing basis to automatically identify crowded areas within the venue, proving how sensing capabilities can enhance event management and the visitor experience across multiple stakeholder groups:

• Attendees: Locate less congested food facilities and services, improving access and reducing wait times.
• Event Organizers: Gain real-time visibility into crowd distribution and facility usage, enabling rapid resource deployment and operational optimization.
• Security and Government Organizations: Detect emerging risks like overcrowding conditions, enabling early intervention to facilitate crowd control and prevent other public safety incidents.

The achievement reflects the synergy between Samsung’s commercial technologies and its advanced research in accelerating the path to 6G. The company’s efforts include its commercially proven vRAN software on the edge-AI platform NIS, and Samsung Research America’s (SRA) cutting-edge AI-driven ISAC solution.

“Verizon’s strategy has always been focused on building an intelligent, AI-native network that translates into meaningful real-world value for our customers,” said Yago Tenorio, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Technology Development at Verizon. “Our early investments in flexible, software-driven vRAN architecture are paying off today, giving us the agility to engineer and trial groundbreaking 6G concepts like ISAC over our existing infrastructure. This field trial with Samsung proves that the network of the future will do far more than just transfer data — it will actively perceive and interact with its environment to transform venue management and public safety.”

“This successful ISAC trial underscores how Verizon’s decision to adopt a software-driven, AI-powered vRAN early on laid a solid foundation, positioning the company at the forefront of the 6G journey,” said Ji-Yun Seol, Executive Vice President and Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “With this approach, forward-thinking operators like Verizon are unlocking untapped potential, spearheading the shift toward a new era where unprecedented services, devices, and use cases converge on next-generation networks.”

“This ISAC trial marks a significant leap forward in integrating AI-driven sensing capabilities into network infrastructure, showcasing the transformative potential of 6G technologies,” said Charlie Zhang, Executive Vice President at Samsung Research America. “By combining Verizon’s innovative approach with Samsung’s advanced vRAN solutions, we’ve demonstrated the practical application of ISAC in a real-world scenario to enhance safety, efficiency, and user experience. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in next-generation wireless networks.”

As a founding member of the Verizon 6G Innovation Forum, Samsung is exploring new use cases to advance innovation, research initiatives, and the overall charter of the consortium. The company continues to work alongside visionary partners to deliver transformative technologies and drive the transition to 6G.

Samsung Networks has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios, and cores. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung is driving the industry to advance 5G networks and paving the way for 6G and beyond with its market-leading product portfolio, from purpose-built RAN, vRAN, Open RAN, AI RAN, and cloud-native core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools (CognitiV NOS). The company currently provides innovative network solutions to mobile operators that deliver boundless connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

1. Citizen Broadband Radio Service, a 150 MHz-wide band of the 3.5 GHz band in the United States. ︎
2. The crowd sensing demo measures crowd density, which is the number of people in a given area, at any given time. Individual users or objects are not identified. No information is obtained about the identity of the individuals. ︎

Samsung Electronics and LG Uplus signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly research Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) technology at LG Science Park in Magok, Seoul, on May 27. Samsung Research, the advanced R&D hub within Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division, will lead development efforts aimed at securing core technologies for the 6G era.

Wireless Sensing With Existing Networks

ISAC technology leverages existing communications infrastructure to collect information about surrounding environments without the need for dedicated equipment. By analyzing wireless signals transmitted by base stations and other network devices as they reflect off nearby objects, ISAC can detect an object’s speed, distance and direction of movement.

Traditionally, environmental sensing required dedicated equipment such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR)¹ or radio detection and ranging (radar)² sensors. ISAC, however, enables sensing using existing communications infrastructure including cellular and Wi-Fi networks. The International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), a global telecommunications standards body, has designated ISAC as one of the three key usage scenarios for 6G.

Improving Safety and Operational Efficiency

ISAC technology is gaining industry attention for its wide range of applications across indoor and outdoor environments, from everyday settings to industrial sites. It can detect human movement in safety-related situations, track drones and robots, and monitor traffic congestion and weather changes.

By leveraging wireless signals, ISAC can identify objects beyond a camera’s field of view and in low-light or nighttime conditions. These capabilities could enable new services that improve safety, efficiency and productivity in consumer and industrial sectors.

Real-World Testing and Multimodal AI Development

To explore these possibilities, the two companies plan to identify ISAC-based use cases and validate the technology’s performance on existing 5G networks and in the 7 GHz band — a candidate frequency for 6G — to assess the feasibility of real-world deployment.

Initially, the collaboration will focus on enhancing everyday safety through human detection and improving network operational efficiency. Over time, the companies plan to expand the research by combining ISAC-generated wireless data — such as location, speed and density information — with camera imagery to further improve detection accuracy. To support these efforts, they will also develop multimodal AI technologies that integrate and analyze diverse forms of sensing data — including images, audio and video.

Under the partnership, Samsung Research will develop core ISAC and AI-driven 6G technologies, while LG Uplus will lead validation including data provision and field-testing infrastructure setup, based on its extensive experience in mobile network operations.

“ISAC is a core technology that transforms communications networks into sensing platforms, enabling users, network operators and industries to experience the full value of 6G,” said JinGuk Jeong, Executive Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center (ACRC), Samsung Research at Samsung Electronics. “Through our collaboration with LG Uplus, we will validate the potential of 6G services across a range of real-world environments and continue advancing key 6G technologies.”

“In the 6G era, it will be increasingly important to verify how research technologies perform in real-world communication networks,” said Sangyeob Lee, CTO and Senior Vice President at LG Uplus. “Through our collaboration with Samsung Research, we aim to validate these technologies from a mobile network operator’s perspective and steadily strengthen our capabilities for future communication technologies.”

Following the publication of its 6G white paper outlining the company’s vision for next-generation communications, Samsung has continued strengthening its 6G industry collaboration, including joint technology demonstrations with its global partners at the Silicon Valley Future Wireless Summit in November 2025 and the AI-RAN Alliance at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in March 2026. Moving forward, the company will continue advancing core 6G technologies to enable safer, smarter and more efficient everyday experiences.

1. A technology that uses laser light to measure distance. ︎
2. A technology that uses radio waves to measure distance and speed. ︎