5G is the current standard in mobile connectivity. However, 6G is on the horizon, and we expect to see it deployed in the coming years. But what will become of existing 5G cell towers? Turns out LG has an interesting idea, where it suggests in the era of 6G, 5G towers can be turned into sensors .
5G towers becoming sensors in the 6G era
In a white paper released by LG UPlus, the carrier arm of LG, it discussed one of the possibilities of repurposing existing 5G towers when the 6G era rolls around. This is known as Information and Sensing Convergence, or ISAC for short.
This means that instead of these towers merely acting as broadcasting stations, they can be used as massive sensors. It can be used to help detect people and objects, and the best (or worst) part is that it works even if that person isn’t carrying a device. This is different from current cell towers, which are used by our phones to ping off from.
However, if you don’t have a phone or mobile device that has cellular connectivity, then it won’t work. But that’s the beauty of ISAC, which works completely device-free. That being said, LG isn’t the first company that envisioned using cellular towers as sensing devices. Back in 2022, Huawei had a similar idea , and later in 2024, Qualcomm also shared its own take on wireless sensing .
What kind of practical uses are there for ISAC?
One of the goals of 6G is to enable smarter cities, and ISAC can potentially get us there. Right now, cell towers are everywhere. This means that the infrastructure is in place without governments or carriers having to erect new ones.
By taking advantage of the ubiquity of 5G cell towers, it could be used to detect vehicles on the road. It could even be a safety feature for pedestrians to help prevent accidents and better manage traffic conditions. There is also potential for use with self-driving cars by basically being a second set of eyes to detect people or obstacles on the road.
There are also possible industrial uses too. Since ISAC can be used to detect subtle vibrations, it could be used to predict when machines need maintenance. This helps improve the uptime of operations, resulting in better productivity and efficiency.
That being said, it’s not hard to see the privacy implications. Since these towers are continuously sensing, people are being tracked even if they don’t want to, with no course for opting out.
