6G becomes radar: ETSI warns of risks from environmental sensing

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With the introduction of 6G, mobile communications are facing a paradigm shift: the technology “Integrated Sensing and Communications” (ISAC) is intended to turn the next generation of mobile networks into a kind of giant radar system. Today's networks primarily serve communication. 6G, on the other hand, is intended to use radio reflections to capture objects, distances, speeds, and even human movements in real time.

The advantages of this environmental sensing for autonomous driving or industrial automation are enormous. However, the downsides are also significant. A working group of the EU telecommunications standards authority ETSI on ISAC has now published a report that highlights the risks to security, privacy, and sustainability.

The biggest problem with the new technology lies in its nature: radio waves do not stop at walls or the human body. The ETSI experts identify a total of 19 critical points, with data protection and security accounting for the largest share with 15 focal points. According to them, the most sensitive issue is “unauthorized sensing”: criminals could misuse 6G signals to create maps of buildings or track the position of individuals without permission. Since ISAC signals often also contain communication data, there is also the risk of eavesdropping: a target object could virtually act as a receiver and intercept confidential information from the radar signals.

Danger from eavesdroppers and data manipulation

Another focus is on the protection of uninvolved individuals. According to the analysis, in an ISAC world, people who do not own a mobile device or are not connected to the network will also be captured. The authors call for clear mechanisms for consent and transparency here. It must be ensured that sensor data is stored immutably and that access is strictly limited to authorized network functions.

The authors also critically examine the role of AI, as relevant models could derive highly sensitive information from the sensor data. This would go far beyond the actual purpose of the measurement.

In addition to these passive risks, ETSI warns of active attacks. For example, 6G radar signals could be manipulated via the air interface to provoke incorrect measurements or to circumvent security functions. This particularly affects security-critical areas such as factory halls or public infrastructures, where precise positioning of machines and people is essential. To prevent this, future systems must not only encrypt data transmission but also secure the integrity of the sensor measurements themselves at the physical level.

Sustainability and social justice

Sustainability is also a focus of the report. The additional radar function must not cause the energy consumption of the networks to explode. ETSI suggests, for example, the efficient joint use of frequencies to conserve scarce resources. The institute also addresses health aspects and the ecological footprint of the required hardware. The premise is: it must be ensured that the 6G infrastructure is in line with global climate goals.

An often overlooked point, according to the technicians, is the social component of sustainability. They emphasize that ISAC services must be designed in such a way that they do not create new inequalities. Access to life-improving functions such as health monitoring through contactless sensor technology should be equally possible for all population groups. Thus, the group links technical specifications directly to the UN sustainability goals.

Use cases as drivers of standardization

As early as April 2025, ETSI laid the groundwork for practical 6G use cases with a precursor report. It describes 18 advanced use cases, such as human motion detection, emergency rescue, and industrial robotics. These scenarios use frequency bands from the sub-6 GHz range to millimeter waves and terahertz frequencies, typically in combination with classic sensors such as cameras. To deeply integrate sensing into the mobile network architecture, ETSI distinguishes between three integration levels and six different sensing modes, involving base stations and end devices.

The new study builds on these application scenarios and is intended as a wake-up call for developers and regulators. The goal is to anchor trust in 6G from the outset through a "Security by Design" concept. Only if the technical requirements for data protection and sustainability are already considered during the standardization phase can ISAC unfold its full potential without making society transparent.

(wpl)