Nokia to Lead KOMSENS-6G, Integrating Sensing into the Communications System

• Nokia is named the overall lead for KOMSENS-6G, a German national-funded 6G technology project.
• KOMSENS-6G targets to expand the scope of wireless networks by integrating sensing capabilities.
• Unlike previous generations, in the 6G era the mobile network itself could act as a sensor, creating synergies that can be used to localize non-connected objects while at the same time optimizing data transmission.

Nokia announced that it will lead the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) KOMSENS-6G project.The project aims to drive global pre-standardization activities from a German and European perspective, with a specific focus on the network as a sensor technology.

Nokia will work closely with a consortium that includes partners from industry, subject matter experts, start-ups, research institutes and distinguished universities in Germany. KOMSENS-6G is part of a broader German 6G initiative and has a total funding of €14.9 million, with a duration of three years.Networking with other projects and partners of the overall national initiative takes place via the central “6G Platform Germany”.

In the 6G era, sensing will be a key enabling technology towards the vision of bringing together the digital and physical worlds. The sensing service will be fully integrated in the wireless network for simultaneous operation with communication services. Nokia will play a leading role in researching technology solutions for front-end, base band, RAN protocols, data processing and security to make the 6G vision a reality.

On completion of the 3-year project, KOMSENS-6G aims to deliver an architecture for integrated sensing and communication, together with a demonstration of the combined service.

Peter Vetter, President of Nokia Bell Labs Core Research, said: “Nokia is honored to lead this innovative technology project. As wireless communication networks are ubiquitous, a “mirror” or digital twin of the physical world can be created using network sensing. By interacting with a digital twin, we could extend our senses to every point the network touches. We believe the sensing network will be a key component of 6G systems of the future, which we want to enable in a secure and privacy preserving way. We are looking forward to working with all consortium members within KOMSENS-6G to deliver the essential solutions to make this happen.”

6G will not only build on existing technologies and systems, but also expand and transform what a network can do. In this network of the future, we could avoid traffic accidents by sensing unseen cars. We could interact with machines and robots remotely, seeing what they see, hearing what they hear, while directing their actions through simple hand gestures captured by the network.

Besides KOMSENS-6G, Nokia is engaged in other projects and initiatives with industry peers, customers, academia, and research institutions globally, spanning the U.S., Europe and APAC, to form a common view and direction for 6G.

Source: Nokia media announcement