Standardization Bridge Between 3GPP ISAC Services and O-RAN Programmability

Develop standardized sensing data representations and interworking procedures that bridge 3GPP-defined ISAC service definitions and APIs with O-RAN programmability (including dApps and the E3 interface) to ensure multi-vendor interoperability.

Background

While 3GPP is advancing ISAC study items (e.g., use cases, measurements, and exposure APIs), the paper argues that O-RAN programmability is needed for real-time, RAN-level sensing workflows (e.g., dApps, E3). Harmonizing these efforts requires common data representations and joint standardization pathways.

The authors explicitly identify the need to bridge 3GPP ISAC service definitions with O-RAN capabilities as an open challenge.

References

Several open challenges remain. Standardization efforts must bridge 3GPP sensing service definitions with O-RAN programmability (dApps, E3), potentially through joint study items and standardized sensing data representations for multi-vendor interoperability.

— Enabling Programmable Inference and ISAC at the 6GR Edge with dApps  (2603.29146 - Polese et al., 31 Mar 2026) in Section 6, Conclusion and Open Challenges