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Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems
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Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensor Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 2753

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Antonio Pérez Yuste

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ETSI Sistemas de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28031 Madrid, Spain
Interests: wireless communications; source localization; sensor location error; frequency difference of arrival; time difference of arrival; fdoa-tdoa
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Neftali Nuñez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ETSI Telecommunication Systems, Polytechnic University of Madrid, 28031 Madrid, Spain
Interests: vehicular communications; DSRC; instrumentation; reliability; photovoltaic; UV-LED sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fusion of sensing and wireless communications is emerging as a cornerstone of future networks, particularly in 5G Advanced, 6G, and Dedicated Short-Range Wireless Communications (DSRC) technologies like WiFi. Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) enables a single wireless infrastructure to both convey data and sense the environment. This convergence allows networks to detect motion, identify objects, and track positions with high precision, paving the way for applications such in autonomous driving, smart cities, industrial IoT, and immersive XR services. These applications demand high bandwidth, AI adaptative solutions, robust security, reliability, quality of service (QoS), and energy efficiency. Key enabling technologies include massive MIMO, mmWave/THz frequency bands, AI/ML-driven signal processing, and advanced antenna design. Despite rapid progress, challenges remain in waveform co-design, hardware integration, interference management, and large-scale deployment, making sensing in wireless communications a vibrant area for ongoing research and innovation.

The Special Issue on “Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems” aims to showcase cutting-edge research, visionary concepts, and practical implementations to drive the integration of sensing capabilities into modern and future wireless networks. We invite the submission of high-quality original papers on topics including, but not limited to, the following areas:

  • ISAC system architectures and protocols
  • Experimental testbeds and field trials for ISAC systems
  • ISAC waveform and signal processing
  • Metrics and KPIs for ISAC systems
  • Intelligent spectrum management and cross-layer optimization
  • Channel modeling for ISAC systems
  • AI-enhanced channel awareness and sensing accuracy
  • Intelligent resource allocation and autonomous decision-making
  • Energy-efficient and green ISAC systems
  • Sensor fusion and deep learning for target detection and tracking
  • Vehicular networks, industrial IoT, and smart infrastructure applications
  • Multiband wideband antennas for positioning and sensing
  • Human activity recognition and gesture control
  • 3GPP/IEEE standardization for 5G-Advanced and 6G sensing features
  • Integrated sensing in Non-Terrestrial Networks
  • Advance IoT with short-range wireless communications technologies

Prof. Dr. Antonio Pérez Yuste
Prof. Dr. Neftali Nuñez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)
  • artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML)
  • 5G and 6G mobile networks
  • dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)
  • non-terrestrial networks (NTN)
  • waveform design
  • millimeter-wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) bands
  • massive MIMO
  • joint resource allocation
  • target parameter estimation
  • high-accuracy positioning
  • quality of service (QoS)
  • energy efficiency
  • security and privacy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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30 pages, 3620 KB  
Article
Cell Complexity Impact on Railway 5G Performance: Measurements Along Tallinn–Tartu Corridor
by Riivo Pilvik, Tanel Jairus, Arvi Sadam and Kati Kõrbe Kaare
Sensors 2026, 26(6), 1977; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26061977 - 21 Mar 2026
Viewed by 652
Abstract
Fifth-generation (5G) networks enable railway digitalization but face signal degradation challenges in high-mobility environments. While the existing literature attributes degradation primarily to Doppler frequency shifts, this study presents empirical evidence challenging this paradigm. Analysis of 13.7 million 5G New Radio measurements across 370 [...] Read more.
Fifth-generation (5G) networks enable railway digitalization but face signal degradation challenges in high-mobility environments. While the existing literature attributes degradation primarily to Doppler frequency shifts, this study presents empirical evidence challenging this paradigm. Analysis of 13.7 million 5G New Radio measurements across 370 km of Estonian railway reveals that visible cell density, not velocity, dominates signal quality degradation. Nine geographic hotspots exhibit 5.4–18.0 dB degradation at moderate velocities (54–66 km/h, mean 60.2 km/h) with zero high-speed measurements, excluding the Doppler effect as the reason behind service quality degradation. Cell complexity demonstrates a 3.25× stronger correlation with degradation (r = −0.390) than velocity (r = −0.120), consistent with automatic frequency control tracking instability under high cell ID churn rates (40–115 visible cells per location), though direct confirmation of this mechanism requires access to internal modem frequency-lock state data. Frequency band analysis shows that 700 MHz is optimal at 98.1% of locations, with a 19 dB advantage over 3.5 GHz. Degradation mechanism decomposition reveals within-cell effects (60%, 7.85 dB) and handover boundary effects (40%, 2–6 dB). The findings challenge velocity-centric optimization paradigms and recommend network planning focused on cell overlap reduction rather than Doppler compensation enhancement. Practical recommendations include 700 MHz prioritization, handover parameter optimization, and geographic targeting of identified hotspots for European railway 5G deployment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems)
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30 pages, 5738 KB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of 5G NR OFDM-Based Passive Radar Exploiting Reference, Control, and User Data
by Marek Wypich and Tomasz P. Zielinski
Sensors 2026, 26(4), 1317; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26041317 - 18 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1195
Abstract
In communication-centric integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, passive radars exploit existing communication signals of opportunity for sensing. To compute delay-Doppler or range–velocity maps (DDMs and RVMs, respectively), modern orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based sensing systems use the channel frequency response (CFR) originally [...] Read more.
In communication-centric integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, passive radars exploit existing communication signals of opportunity for sensing. To compute delay-Doppler or range–velocity maps (DDMs and RVMs, respectively), modern orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based sensing systems use the channel frequency response (CFR) originally estimated in communication receivers for equalization. In OFDM-based passive radars utilizing 4G LTE or 5G NR waveforms, CFR estimation typically relies only on reference signals. However, simulation-based studies that assume a priori knowledge of user data symbols indicate potential performance gains when incorporating user data and other downlink channels. In this work, we present an experimental evaluation of an OFDM-based passive radar that jointly utilizes all commonly present components of the 5G NR downlink waveform: synchronization signals (PSS and SSS), broadcast and control channels (PBCHs and PDCCHs, respectively), data channels (PDSCHs), and reference signals (PBCH DM-RSs, PDCCH DM-RSs, PDSCH DM-RSs, and CSI-RSs). Our results show that utilizing user data from fully occupied 5G downlink signals, under the assumption of full knowledge of PDSCH locations, significantly improves both the probability of detection (POD) and the peak height, measured by the peak-to-noise-floor ratio (PNFR), compared with pilot-only sensing. Since perfect knowledge of the user data payload is not assumed, we estimate the transmission bit error rate (BER) and analyze its impact on sensing performance. Finally, we investigate more realistic scenarios in which only a subset of PDSCH resource element locations is known, as in practical 5G deployments, and evaluate how partial data location knowledge affects the POD and PNFR under different BER conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems)
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12 pages, 10381 KB  
Article
A Wideband Water-Based 3D-Printed Reflect–Transmit Antenna Array Toward mmWave Positioning Applications
by Fahad Ahmed, Farooq Faisal, Noureddine Melouki, Peyman PourMohammadi, Hassan Naseri, Tarek Djerafi and Tayeb A. Denidni
Sensors 2026, 26(4), 1249; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26041249 - 14 Feb 2026
Viewed by 499
Abstract
This paper presents a water-based reflect-transmit antenna (WBRTA) array for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications. The WBRTA array incorporates the low-permittivity polylactic acid (PLA)- and high-permittivity water-based unit cells. The low permittivity PLA unit cells provide better transmission, whereas the water-based unit cell offers good [...] Read more.
This paper presents a water-based reflect-transmit antenna (WBRTA) array for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications. The WBRTA array incorporates the low-permittivity polylactic acid (PLA)- and high-permittivity water-based unit cells. The low permittivity PLA unit cells provide better transmission, whereas the water-based unit cell offers good reflections due to a very high permittivity. Therefore, the WBRTA enables simultaneous beam splitting in reflection and transmission modes across a wider bandwidth. In addition, depending on the distribution and configuration of the water- and PLA-based unit cells, the WBRTA enables beam tilting of up to 45° in the reflection and transmission modes simultaneously. The proposed WBRTA offers peak gains of 25.2 dBi in transmission and 24 dBi in reflection at the central frequency. The corresponding sidelobe levels (SLLs) are −22 dB for transmission and −17 dB for reflection, while cross-polarization (x-pol) levels remain below −81 dB. In addition, the wide operational bandwidth, low sidelobe levels, and high polarization purity make the proposed WBRTA relevant as an enabling antenna structure for positioning-oriented sensing functions in future mmWave wireless systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing in Wireless Communication Systems)
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