Integrated Sensing and Communication Channel Modeling and Measurements: Requirements and Methodologies Toward 6G Standardization

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been defined as one of the major usage scenarios for 6G. When sensing and communication channels coexist in ISAC scenarios, neither conventional communication nor sensing channel models are applicable. As the foundation of ISAC studies, a new channel modeling methodology is required to characterize both sensing and communication channels and their correlations. This article introduces the framework of a general ISAC channel model, which integrates a deterministic multiscattering-center (MSC) model of sensing targets to the stochastic propagation channel model. Parameterizations of the proposed channel model rely on channel measurements. This article introduces two ISAC channel measurement methodologies based on the vector network analyzer (VNA) and a novel dual-sensor measurement system. The proposed methods can be applied in future 6G ISAC channel model standardization and system evaluations.