O-RAN ALLIANCE’s Industry Engagement Focus Group (IEFG) and next Generation Research Group (nGRG) are jointly hosting a one‑day workshop on next-G research and on Integrated Sensing & Communications (ISAC).
It's scheduled on June 4, 2026 from 8:30am – 7:30pm PDT as an interactive online event, broadcast from the O-RAN F2F meeting in Seattle, USA.
O-RAN members and participants are welcome to attend in person, as part of the O-RAN F2F meeting Seattle-Bellevue, 1-5 June 2026 - register through the wiki (requires O-RAN membership login).
The morning part focuses on next generation network research. nGRG is planning 10 sessions delivering insightful presentations. Detailed agenda is in preparation and will be published, soon.
The afternoon part dives deep into various aspects of Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) – standards, architecture, implementation, role of open interfaces, and path to 6G native sensing. Discussions will span from current state of ISAC implementations, performance, and validating testing to path to commercialization. We will examine how RAN sensing can leverage E3 (Edge‑Enhanced Exposure) interface and dApps to support ISAC use cases such as drone swarm sensing and detection.
Pacific Daylight Time zone (PDT)
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______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
This topic will highlight the recent acceleration of Open Source, Open RAN with OCUDU as a platform to rapidly build out AI-RAN capabilities and specifically ISAC as a key NextG capability. We will highlight our work in this area, alongside the OCUDU project and its partners, leveraging Open RAN as a basis for accelerating pre-standardization activities in AI-RAN, 5G, 6G, and ISAC - and highlight key ISAC data collection, prototyping, interfaces, and paths towards standardization and broader adoption that we are focused on alongside this ecosystem, partners, and our efforts in this area.
______________
______________
Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is becoming a foundational technology for both O‑RAN evolution and future 6G systems. ISAC enables the RAN to perform joint communication and radio‑based sensing, allowing the network to detect, localize, and characterize passive, non‑connected objects. By embedding sensing as a native RAN function, ISAC allows O‑RU, O‑DU, and O‑CU nodes to reuse communication waveforms, reference signals, and spectrum resources for environmental sensing. Depending on the waveform and processing chain, ISAC can estimate object range, angle, Doppler shift, and in some cases infer size or shape through micro‑doppler and scattering signatures. These capabilities rely on radio signals transmitted and received by both network infrastructure and user equipment.
Radisys has integrated ISAC signal processing and control functions into its O‑RAN compliant DU/CU software. The pre‑E3 O‑RAN interface enables coordination between ISAC sensing modules and RAN control logic. The E3 interface—recently introduced within O‑RAN—provides a standardized mechanism for real‑time, AI‑driven RAN control via distributed applications (dApps). Through E3, dApps can interact directly with O‑DU and O‑CU nodes, enabling low‑latency, closed‑loop control for functions such as dynamic spectrum allocation, positioning, and sensing‑assisted mobility or interference management in 5G and future 6G deployments.
The increasing geopolitical and public‑safety focus on detecting UAVs, drones, and other low‑altitude or small‑RCS objects has intensified the need for wide‑area sensing in both urban and rural environments. Deploying dedicated radar or sensing infrastructure for these use cases requires substantial capital and operational expenditure. Leveraging existing 5G—and future 6G—RAN deployments for ISAC provides a cost‑efficient alternative by reusing existing radio infrastructure, fronthaul/backhaul transport, and compute resources. This approach enables large‑scale sensing coverage without the need for standalone radar systems, positioning the mobile network as a unified communications‑and‑sensing platform.
______________
______________
______________
Brian Daly is an AT&T Fellow, Radio Club of America Fellow, and Assistant Vice President with more than 30 years of experience, driving real‑world deployment of advanced wireless networks. He serves as AT&T’s Executive Committee member of the O‑RAN ALLIANCE and Co‑Chair of the O‑RAN Technical Steering Committee, where he helps guide the evolution of open, software‑driven RAN at global scale. A leader in Integrated Sensing and Communications, 5G, and 6G, Brian works across industry and government to shape standards and architectures that deliver secure, resilient, and deployable networks for the decade ahead.
______________
Dr. Salam Akoum is an Expert Member of Technical Staff in advanced RAN technology, Standards, and Spectrum at AT&T. She leads strategic RAN initiatives including ISAC and AI native RAN. Her work encompasses the design, evaluation, and standardization of key 5G and emerging 6G technologies, driving practical system deployments. Dr. Akoum holds over one hundred patents and has extensive contributions to 3GPP and O-RAN.
______________
Richard Miller
______________
Saeede Enayati received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst in 2023. She is a Principal Wireless Research Engineer at Tiami Networks, where she leads work on Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) including algorithm design, system implementation, and standardization. Her current research focuses mainly on ISAC implementation aspects in 5GNR and 6G as well as ML-based detections in ISAC. Besides, she actively contributes to 3GPP RAN1 on ISAC standardization and participates in the O-RAN and AI-RAN Alliances, where she helps shape the architecture and protocols for network-based sensing.
______________
Christina Chaccour is a Senior Strategy and Product Manager within Ericsson’s Product Line RAN Software, driving the evolution of AI-RAN, 6G, and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC). Within the telco industry, Dr. Chaccour has held roles spanning architecture, business strategy, technical pre-sales, and research.
Her experience includes microchip design, complementing a background that spans industry, academia, and entrepreneurship. She has contributed to both pre-standardization and standardization efforts and engages in policy and industry initiatives, including work with FCC CSRIC IX.
Dr. Chaccour holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and is the author of two books and multiple patents in artificial intelligence and wireless communications. Her work includes widely cited and influential publications in AI for networks, semantic communications, and terahertz systems, alongside editorial roles across leading IEEE journals. She is also co-founder of Internet of Trees.
______________
Steve Papa is CEO of Parallel Wireless pioneer of GreenRAN where we are bringing substantial innovation to Open RAN through live deployments of AI in signal processing, innovation with silicon and RF partners driving energy efficiency gains >50%, and plans to bring sensing to the full 5G NSA/4G stack versus waiting for 6G.
______________
Jan Plachý received BSc, MSc and Ph.D. degree in telecommunication engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic in 2012, 2014 and 2021, respectively. Currently, he works as R&D Technical Product Manager at Deutsche Telekom in T-labs, focusing on future networks research, mainly on Integrated Sensing and Communication. Since 2022, he has been participating in research towards 6G in the next Generation Research Group within the O-RAN ALLIANCE and co-leading one of the research streams. Jan is involved in 6G Platform Germany to help shape the German 6G vision. Apart from this, he works as a researcher at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He has been participating in many national and international research projects focused on mobile networks. Currently, Jan leads DT work SENSATION project, with a focus on ISAC. His research interests cover 6G, ISAC and O-RAN. He has published 17 conference and journal papers in IEEE and Elsevier and has co-authored more than 15 patents.
______________
Eng Wei Koo is Keysight’s Director of Standards and Technology, based in Singapore. He represents Keysight in 3GPP RAN plenary and O-RAN ALLIANCE co-chairing the Test and Integration group. Eng Wei has held multiple planning, research, and development leadership positions for RAN development, test and measurements solutions enabling the wireless networks ecosystem to develop, test, deploy and optimize 3G/4G/5G/B5G virtual, Open and AI RAN solutions in the labs and field for the past 20 years. In recent years, he has been working closely with industry partners to co-innovate and design experimental test beds and methodology for AI-RAN.
______________
Dr. Ian C. Wong is currently the Senior Director of RF and Wireless Architecture reporting to the CTO at VIAVI Solutions, where he is leading RF and wireless technology strategy, architectures, and standards. He is the co-chair of the Test and Integration Focus Group (TIFG) in the O-RAN ALLIANCE, and VIAVI’s representative at the full member and steering groups of the NextG Alliance. He is also Chief Architect of the VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) which was awarded $21.7M by the NTIA Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s first Notice of Funding Opportunity.
______________
Dr. Tim O'Shea is the CTO at DeepSig Inc, focused on building and deploying leading AI-RAN & RF-ML solutions, including the world's first AI-Native OpenRAN macro-network with Viettel and industry leading AI Spectrum Sensing solution. He is actively involved in driving AI-RAN in the OCUDU Project, the AI-RAN Alliance TSC, 3GPP 6G and AI-Native Air Interface standardization, and with IEEE's Machine Learning for Communications initiatives. He is an IEEE Fellow and previously worked with FCC TAC, Virginia Tech, Hawkeye 360, Federated Wireless, GNU Radio, Cisco Systems, and the Department of Defense.
______________
Job Benson is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Outdoor Connectivity Business Unit at Airspan Networks. In this role, he oversees Airspan's portfolio of solutions spanning Open RAN radio systems, outdoor small cell solutions, and advanced aerial connectivity technologies. He leads Airspan's Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) program to embed AI-native RF sensing into commercial Open RAN radio systems. With more than 25 years in the wireless industry, he has led product development, radio technology strategy, and commercial rollouts at Airspan, Mavenir, Nokia, and Motorola.
______________
Prakash Siva brings over 20 years of experience in sales, product and engineering development of optical, mobile, IP/Ethernet networks to his role at Radisys. His focus is on enabling Communication Service Providers (CSPs) to adopt and deploy 4G/5G, PON based broadband networks using Open-Source technologies. Prakash’s earlier roles at Radisys included CTO/sales, product manager and lead architect for LTE and wireline networks. Prior to joining Radisys, he held management and engineering positions at HP/Agilent, Turin Networks/Dell and Infinera. Prakash has a diverse background in software/HW engineering that complements his current work to enable rapid deployment of cloud and AI based technologies at CSP scale. Prakash holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from University of Texas (UTA).
______________
Atsushi Nakata is a System Director in the Mobile Access Division at NEC Corporation, responsible for RAN system specification and standardization activities, with a particular focus on the O-RAN ALLIANCE.
He brings more than 23 years of experience in 3GPP RAN system design, including architectures based on the Open Fronthaul interface and the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) for the telecom ecosystem.
Based in Japan, Atsushi plays a key role in shaping NEC’s RAN roadmap as part of its social infrastructure business, bridging global standardization activities with R&D innovations and product development to enable secure, open, and sustainable mobile networks.
______________
Salvatore D'Oro is a Research Associate Professor at Northeastern University and the CTO of zTouch Network. He received his Ph.D. from University of Catania in 2015. He is an associate editor for IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine and Elsevier Computer Communications. His research interests include Open RAN, AI-RAN, spectrum sensing, spectrum sharing and AI for wireless networks.
______________
Reiner Stuhlfauth is technology manager- wireless, from the Test & Measurement Division of Rohde & Schwarz, in Munich. Previously, he was a trainer with more than 25 years’ experience in teaching and promoting mobile communication technologies. He is involved in several projects concerning 5G, 5G-Advanced and 6G research. Reiner is a delegate for R&S in the O-RAN ALLIANCE. Current areas of interest include non-terrestrial networks (NTN), O-RAN, Cybersecurity, energy saving and Non-3GPP Interworking. Reiner has presented at a plethora of conferences, webinars and events and published several technical documents. He is one of the authors of the R&S technology book “5G New Radio – fundamentals, procedures, testing aspects”. He holds an academic degree of engineer in telecommunications (Dipl.-Ing) issued by the Technical University of Kaiserslautern.
O-RAN ALLIANCE’s Industry Engagement Focus Group (IEFG) and next Generation Research Group (nGRG) are jointly hosting a one‑day workshop on next-G research and on Integrated Sensing & Communications (ISAC).
It's scheduled on June 4, 2026 from 8:30am – 7:30pm PDT as an interactive online event, broadcast from the O-RAN F2F meeting in Seattle, USA.
O-RAN members and participants are welcome to attend in person, as part of the O-RAN F2F meeting Seattle-Bellevue, 1-5 June 2026 - register through the wiki (requires O-RAN membership login).
The morning part focuses on next generation network research. nGRG is planning 10 sessions delivering insightful presentations. Detailed agenda is in preparation and will be published, soon.
The afternoon part dives deep into various aspects of Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) – standards, architecture, implementation, role of open interfaces, and path to 6G native sensing. Discussions will span from current state of ISAC implementations, performance, and validating testing to path to commercialization. We will examine how RAN sensing can leverage E3 (Edge‑Enhanced Exposure) interface and dApps to support ISAC use cases such as drone swarm sensing and detection.
Pacific Daylight Time zone (PDT)
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
This topic will highlight the recent acceleration of Open Source, Open RAN with OCUDU as a platform to rapidly build out AI-RAN capabilities and specifically ISAC as a key NextG capability. We will highlight our work in this area, alongside the OCUDU project and its partners, leveraging Open RAN as a basis for accelerating pre-standardization activities in AI-RAN, 5G, 6G, and ISAC - and highlight key ISAC data collection, prototyping, interfaces, and paths towards standardization and broader adoption that we are focused on alongside this ecosystem, partners, and our efforts in this area.
______________
______________
Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is becoming a foundational technology for both O‑RAN evolution and future 6G systems. ISAC enables the RAN to perform joint communication and radio‑based sensing, allowing the network to detect, localize, and characterize passive, non‑connected objects. By embedding sensing as a native RAN function, ISAC allows O‑RU, O‑DU, and O‑CU nodes to reuse communication waveforms, reference signals, and spectrum resources for environmental sensing. Depending on the waveform and processing chain, ISAC can estimate object range, angle, Doppler shift, and in some cases infer size or shape through micro‑doppler and scattering signatures. These capabilities rely on radio signals transmitted and received by both network infrastructure and user equipment.
Radisys has integrated ISAC signal processing and control functions into its O‑RAN compliant DU/CU software. The pre‑E3 O‑RAN interface enables coordination between ISAC sensing modules and RAN control logic. The E3 interface—recently introduced within O‑RAN—provides a standardized mechanism for real‑time, AI‑driven RAN control via distributed applications (dApps). Through E3, dApps can interact directly with O‑DU and O‑CU nodes, enabling low‑latency, closed‑loop control for functions such as dynamic spectrum allocation, positioning, and sensing‑assisted mobility or interference management in 5G and future 6G deployments.
The increasing geopolitical and public‑safety focus on detecting UAVs, drones, and other low‑altitude or small‑RCS objects has intensified the need for wide‑area sensing in both urban and rural environments. Deploying dedicated radar or sensing infrastructure for these use cases requires substantial capital and operational expenditure. Leveraging existing 5G—and future 6G—RAN deployments for ISAC provides a cost‑efficient alternative by reusing existing radio infrastructure, fronthaul/backhaul transport, and compute resources. This approach enables large‑scale sensing coverage without the need for standalone radar systems, positioning the mobile network as a unified communications‑and‑sensing platform.
______________
______________
______________
Brian Daly is an AT&T Fellow, Radio Club of America Fellow, and Assistant Vice President with more than 30 years of experience, driving real‑world deployment of advanced wireless networks. He serves as AT&T’s Executive Committee member of the O‑RAN ALLIANCE and Co‑Chair of the O‑RAN Technical Steering Committee, where he helps guide the evolution of open, software‑driven RAN at global scale. A leader in Integrated Sensing and Communications, 5G, and 6G, Brian works across industry and government to shape standards and architectures that deliver secure, resilient, and deployable networks for the decade ahead.
______________
Dr. Salam Akoum is an Expert Member of Technical Staff in advanced RAN technology, Standards, and Spectrum at AT&T. She leads strategic RAN initiatives including ISAC and AI native RAN. Her work encompasses the design, evaluation, and standardization of key 5G and emerging 6G technologies, driving practical system deployments. Dr. Akoum holds over one hundred patents and has extensive contributions to 3GPP and O-RAN.
______________
Richard Miller
______________
Saeede Enayati received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst in 2023. She is a Principal Wireless Research Engineer at Tiami Networks, where she leads work on Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) including algorithm design, system implementation, and standardization. Her current research focuses mainly on ISAC implementation aspects in 5GNR and 6G as well as ML-based detections in ISAC. Besides, she actively contributes to 3GPP RAN1 on ISAC standardization and participates in the O-RAN and AI-RAN Alliances, where she helps shape the architecture and protocols for network-based sensing.
______________
Christina Chaccour is a Senior Strategy and Product Manager within Ericsson’s Product Line RAN Software, driving the evolution of AI-RAN, 6G, and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC). Within the telco industry, Dr. Chaccour has held roles spanning architecture, business strategy, technical pre-sales, and research.
Her experience includes microchip design, complementing a background that spans industry, academia, and entrepreneurship. She has contributed to both pre-standardization and standardization efforts and engages in policy and industry initiatives, including work with FCC CSRIC IX.
Dr. Chaccour holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and is the author of two books and multiple patents in artificial intelligence and wireless communications. Her work includes widely cited and influential publications in AI for networks, semantic communications, and terahertz systems, alongside editorial roles across leading IEEE journals. She is also co-founder of Internet of Trees.
______________
Steve Papa is CEO of Parallel Wireless pioneer of GreenRAN where we are bringing substantial innovation to Open RAN through live deployments of AI in signal processing, innovation with silicon and RF partners driving energy efficiency gains >50%, and plans to bring sensing to the full 5G NSA/4G stack versus waiting for 6G.
______________
Jan Plachý received BSc, MSc and Ph.D. degree in telecommunication engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic in 2012, 2014 and 2021, respectively. Currently, he works as R&D Technical Product Manager at Deutsche Telekom in T-labs, focusing on future networks research, mainly on Integrated Sensing and Communication. Since 2022, he has been participating in research towards 6G in the next Generation Research Group within the O-RAN ALLIANCE and co-leading one of the research streams. Jan is involved in 6G Platform Germany to help shape the German 6G vision. Apart from this, he works as a researcher at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He has been participating in many national and international research projects focused on mobile networks. Currently, Jan leads DT work SENSATION project, with a focus on ISAC. His research interests cover 6G, ISAC and O-RAN. He has published 17 conference and journal papers in IEEE and Elsevier and has co-authored more than 15 patents.
______________
Eng Wei Koo is Keysight’s Director of Standards and Technology, based in Singapore. He represents Keysight in 3GPP RAN plenary and O-RAN ALLIANCE co-chairing the Test and Integration group. Eng Wei has held multiple planning, research, and development leadership positions for RAN development, test and measurements solutions enabling the wireless networks ecosystem to develop, test, deploy and optimize 3G/4G/5G/B5G virtual, Open and AI RAN solutions in the labs and field for the past 20 years. In recent years, he has been working closely with industry partners to co-innovate and design experimental test beds and methodology for AI-RAN.
______________
Dr. Ian C. Wong is currently the Senior Director of RF and Wireless Architecture reporting to the CTO at VIAVI Solutions, where he is leading RF and wireless technology strategy, architectures, and standards. He is the co-chair of the Test and Integration Focus Group (TIFG) in the O-RAN ALLIANCE, and VIAVI’s representative at the full member and steering groups of the NextG Alliance. He is also Chief Architect of the VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) which was awarded $21.7M by the NTIA Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s first Notice of Funding Opportunity.
______________
Dr. Tim O'Shea is the CTO at DeepSig Inc, focused on building and deploying leading AI-RAN & RF-ML solutions, including the world's first AI-Native OpenRAN macro-network with Viettel and industry leading AI Spectrum Sensing solution. He is actively involved in driving AI-RAN in the OCUDU Project, the AI-RAN Alliance TSC, 3GPP 6G and AI-Native Air Interface standardization, and with IEEE's Machine Learning for Communications initiatives. He is an IEEE Fellow and previously worked with FCC TAC, Virginia Tech, Hawkeye 360, Federated Wireless, GNU Radio, Cisco Systems, and the Department of Defense.
______________
Job Benson is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Outdoor Connectivity Business Unit at Airspan Networks. In this role, he oversees Airspan's portfolio of solutions spanning Open RAN radio systems, outdoor small cell solutions, and advanced aerial connectivity technologies. He leads Airspan's Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) program to embed AI-native RF sensing into commercial Open RAN radio systems. With more than 25 years in the wireless industry, he has led product development, radio technology strategy, and commercial rollouts at Airspan, Mavenir, Nokia, and Motorola.
______________
Prakash Siva brings over 20 years of experience in sales, product and engineering development of optical, mobile, IP/Ethernet networks to his role at Radisys. His focus is on enabling Communication Service Providers (CSPs) to adopt and deploy 4G/5G, PON based broadband networks using Open-Source technologies. Prakash’s earlier roles at Radisys included CTO/sales, product manager and lead architect for LTE and wireline networks. Prior to joining Radisys, he held management and engineering positions at HP/Agilent, Turin Networks/Dell and Infinera. Prakash has a diverse background in software/HW engineering that complements his current work to enable rapid deployment of cloud and AI based technologies at CSP scale. Prakash holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from University of Texas (UTA).
______________
Atsushi Nakata is a System Director in the Mobile Access Division at NEC Corporation, responsible for RAN system specification and standardization activities, with a particular focus on the O-RAN ALLIANCE.
He brings more than 23 years of experience in 3GPP RAN system design, including architectures based on the Open Fronthaul interface and the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) for the telecom ecosystem.
Based in Japan, Atsushi plays a key role in shaping NEC’s RAN roadmap as part of its social infrastructure business, bridging global standardization activities with R&D innovations and product development to enable secure, open, and sustainable mobile networks.
______________
Salvatore D'Oro is a Research Associate Professor at Northeastern University and the CTO of zTouch Network. He received his Ph.D. from University of Catania in 2015. He is an associate editor for IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine and Elsevier Computer Communications. His research interests include Open RAN, AI-RAN, spectrum sensing, spectrum sharing and AI for wireless networks.
______________
Reiner Stuhlfauth is technology manager- wireless, from the Test & Measurement Division of Rohde & Schwarz, in Munich. Previously, he was a trainer with more than 25 years’ experience in teaching and promoting mobile communication technologies. He is involved in several projects concerning 5G, 5G-Advanced and 6G research. Reiner is a delegate for R&S in the O-RAN ALLIANCE. Current areas of interest include non-terrestrial networks (NTN), O-RAN, Cybersecurity, energy saving and Non-3GPP Interworking. Reiner has presented at a plethora of conferences, webinars and events and published several technical documents. He is one of the authors of the R&S technology book “5G New Radio – fundamentals, procedures, testing aspects”. He holds an academic degree of engineer in telecommunications (Dipl.-Ing) issued by the Technical University of Kaiserslautern.
