Special Issue on Integrated Sensing and Communications [From the Guest Editors]

The 6G networks are anticipated to be instrumental in powering a wide array of upcoming applications, including smart cities and homes, interconnected vehicles, intelligent factories, and the industrial Internet of Things (IoT). These applications need advanced wireless connectivity and robust, precise sensing abilities. A consistent aspect of future 6G plans is the increased importance of sensing, set to play an unprecedented role. By incorporating sensing capabilities, 6G networks will expand beyond traditional communication boundaries, offering pervasive sensing services to analyze and potentially map out the environments they operate in. This capability to collect environmental sensory data is seen as essential for nurturing intelligence in the upcoming era of smart environments. This necessitates a concurrent focus on developing communication and sensing technologies within 6G networks, which has prompted recent explorations in integrated sensing and communications (ISAC).