IN Brief:
- Ericsson is introducing radio-based drone detection using sensing-capable equipment distributed across mobile network sites.
- Its multistatic architecture combines reflected signals, edge processing, and classification to maintain moving-object tracks.
- Selected sensing-only pilots are planned for 2027, with broader deployments from 2028 and communications integration later.
Ericsson has introduced an integrated sensing system that uses mobile network infrastructure to detect and track moving objects, including drones that are not connected to the network. The system combines sensing-capable 5G radio equipment with distributed processing and artificial intelligence, extending the function of radio sites beyond conventional wireless communications. Selected customers are expected to begin small-scale commercial sensing pilots in 2027.
The Ericsson ISAC System targets areas where dedicated radar and other sensors may be difficult to deploy continuously across a wide footprint. Low-flying drones are small, mobile targets that can cross urban areas, transport corridors, and industrial sites in short periods. Existing cellular infrastructure contributes geographically separated radio sites, backhaul, and access to spectrum that can support a distributed layer of airspace observation.
The system detects objects by examining the radio signals reflected from them, including drones that transmit no network identification. Signals emitted from sensing-capable radio sites interact with aircraft, terrain, buildings, and other surfaces. Processing systems estimate movement from the returned signal components, while coordinated observations allow detections to be assembled into tracks across the monitored area.
The architecture is multistatic: geographically separated sites participate in transmitting and receiving the signals used for sensing. Multiple observation angles can help distinguish a moving object from background reflections and improve track continuity as the target changes direction or passes between sites. The usefulness of those observations depends on site geometry, signal conditions, environmental clutter, and the target’s size and movement.
Edge computing and AI-based classification process the measurements before relevant tracking information is shared with authorised external platforms. Ericsson envisages interfaces to security monitoring, command-and-control, and other sensor systems. Existing radar, optical, and acoustic installations can contribute complementary observations, particularly at locations where a single radio-based sensing method would encounter coverage gaps or difficult operating conditions.
Validation testing has shown detection and tracking of micro drones at kilometre-scale distances with three-dimensional positioning. Ericsson qualifies those results by target characteristics, sensing geometry, terrain, operating environment, and network configuration. The reported demonstrations establish technical feasibility in selected arrangements rather than a universal detection distance or performance guarantee for every existing mobile site.
Trials in Arlington, Texas, conducted with AT&T displayed the activity and trajectories of multiple drones using sensing dashboards. In Helsinki, Finnish state network operator Erillisverkot participated in a demonstration in which several 5G sites detected and tracked aircraft. The Finnish work examined applications around public safety and protection of locations such as ports and other critical infrastructure.
A separate Polish demonstration involved mobile operator Play and technology company Asseco. There, radio sensing was combined with Asseco’s PUSZCZYK acoustic detection system, illustrating how two measurement techniques could be brought together when monitoring low-altitude targets. The demonstration built on work at Ericsson’s Kraków research centre and included government, defence, research, and regulatory representatives.
The reuse of communications infrastructure also creates radio-engineering requirements. Sensing operations need coordination across participating sites, suitable radio resource arrangements, and measurement processing that can distinguish target returns from background interference. Access controls govern the sharing of position and classification results with authorised systems beyond the mobile network. Network design and local propagation conditions will influence how these functions are implemented at each deployment.
ETSI’s February 2026 report on integrated sensing and communications considers multistatic arrangements, task coordination, measurement processing, and secure exposure of sensing results as part of future mobile-network architecture. Research published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in December 2025 examined cooperative use of measurements from multiple 5G receivers, supporting the broader engineering case for coordinated sensing from separated radio sites.
Ericsson plans to introduce the service incrementally. The initial 2027 commercial pilots are sensing-only deployments, while wider sensing installations are expected from 2028. Communications integration is planned as the system develops towards 6G. The phased approach distinguishes the present sensing application from the fuller combination of radio communications and environmental observation envisaged in future cellular systems.
Ports, energy infrastructure, border locations, and transport corridors are among the proposed operating environments. Ericsson’s planned 2027 sensing-only pilots will provide a further opportunity to assess detection consistency across different terrain, target types, and network configurations, as well as how tracking information is exchanged with existing security systems. Broader sensing deployment is planned from 2028, with communications integration envisaged as the technology moves towards 6G.
