AT&T押注通感一体：从无人机探测到城市级感知平台

LIVE FROM TIP FYUZ 2026, SEATTLE: AT&T outlined an ambition for its mobile network to detect nearby objects and help machines understand their surroundings, product development director Amy Gerrie revealed. Speaking alongside Joe Constantine, CTO of Ericsson Americas, Gerrie ( pictured, right ) said sensing is the first step towards integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), with communications to be integrated later. Constantine said Ericsson will release its ISAC platform for mobile operators in 2027, with scale in 2028. The vendor has noted the product is built for 5G networks, and Gerrie said AT&T is building to 5G standards as they exist today, with an eye towards 6G. Gerrie described a test in the US state of Texas several months ago. Radio signals bounced off objects across several cell sites at once, and AI classified the returning signals so the system could detect, track and locate each object. The test focused on drones, which are difficult for radar and cameras to pick up. They are small, fly low and move fast, may try to avoid detection and are not registered on the network. “It’s the perfect use case because it’s the hardest use case,” she said. Gerrie stated the aim goes beyond tracking drones. Devices need to understand their surroundings so they can anticipate changes and respond. “What we’re creating is not a feature. It’s a platform,” Gerrie said, adding she expects developers to build on it. Enterprise customers will also be a target market, Gerrie said, but AT&T wants developers to build their own applications. She sees scope for uses beyond enterprise too. The rollout will start at defence and critical infrastructure sites before expanding nationally. The focus is on the sky for now. Sensing on the ground, among people, cars and buildings, will follow. Gerrie noted AT&T already counts defence among its most important customers. She said drones have changed the threats those customers face, citing Ukraine, US borders, critical infrastructure and crowded venues such as stadiums. Drone delivery will also need monitoring. Amazon expects deliveries in nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of the year, and Gerrie said someone will need to know who is flying where and whether they should be there. Ready or not First responders are a key ISAC use case. AT&T already provides their communications through FirstNet. During a flood, Gerrie said, the same network might help locate people who need rescuing. Gerrie said robots, phones and autonomous systems could use the network to understand what is around them. A self-driving car’s lidar cannot see around a corner, but the network can. It can also detect objects which are not connected to it. Using the mobile network would complement radar, cameras and other sensors, Gerrie said. It would also reuse existing towers, power and spectrum, which changes the cost compared with building separate sensor sites. Investment in AI makes this the right time, she added.  “They’re coming, whether we want them to, whether we’re ready for them to or not,” she said of drones and robots. Longer term, Gerrie sees uses in digital twins of cities, crowd control and traffic management. The network would serve robots and drones as well as people. The post AT&T sees ISAC as a platform, not a feature appeared first on Mobile World Live .