Vodafone Creates New Technology That Allows Its Mobile Network to "Sense" and Identify Objects Around It

Vodafone has created a technology that allows their mobile network to "sense" and identify objects around it. Think of it like having a super-powerful radar that can detect things like drones, birds, or even cars within a three-kilometre range.

Vodafone is working on an innovative technology called Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), which uses its mobile network to detect and identify objects like drones or birds within a three-kilometre radius.

With ISAC technology, a drone or a similar unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could be more easily detected, Vodafone said.

One of the many innovations on show on Vodafone’s stand at Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC25), this new technology, called Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), leverages radio signals, similar to sonar, to calculate the range, speed, and angle of both moving and static objects in the surrounding area. By integrating AI capabilities, the system can automatically identify objects and determine whether to ignore them or alert someone to a potential threat.

Here’s how it works in simpler terms:

1. Radio Waves: Vodafone's network sends out radio signals, much like how your phone connects to cell towers.
2. Echo Effect: When these radio signals hit an object, they bounce back, just like an echo in a canyon.
3. Detection: By analyzing the bounced-back signals, the network can figure out what kind of object it is, how far away it is, and how fast it's moving.

Now, imagine this technology being used in everyday life:

• Home Security: Your house could have an invisible shield that detects any unexpected movement outside.
• Traffic Management: Traffic lights and road systems could automatically adapt based on real-time traffic conditions.
• Smart Devices: Your smartwatch could sense if you fall and send an alert for help.

This technology could provide an additional layer of security in strategically important places such as airports, ports, and campuses. It could also be used by machines or connected devices to interpret sign language or raise alarms if someone is in distress. Vodafone envisions this technology being part of the upcoming 6G standards, which are expected to be finalized by June 2025.

This ‘network as a radar’ technology is being discussed within industry-led research and 6G forums, and new common standards under the umbrella organisation 3GPP (Release 19) are expected to be finalised by June 2025.

Vodafone said that this new technology will eventually integrate mobile communication and sensing functions into a single system, which will be made accessible to third party organisations via a network Application Programming Interface (API).

This development is perhaps a milestone in history of Telecommunications where in mobile networks are evolving beyond communication to include sensing capabilities.