Spectrum ranging from 7 to 24 GHz (specifically from 7 to 15 GHz), is poised to play a pivotal
role in 6G communication. Among the six key usage scenarios, Joint Communication and
Sensing (JCAS)/Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) stands out as a significant
focus area. In early 2023, the NGA’s National 6G Roadmap Working Group (NRWG) established
a specialized team to undertake measurements, analysis, and modeling of communication
channels, alongside sensing models for both targets and backgrounds. Their findings were
published in the Phase I report titled “Channel Measurements and Modeling for Joint/
Integrated Communication and Sensing, as well as 7-24 GHz Communication” [1] in July 2024.
This report provides an in-depth study of communication channels and JCAS/ISAC channel
models, encompassing both mid-band and mmWave spectrum bands.

In 2024, member companies contributed jointly, along with a liaison submission, to the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-19 meetings. These contributions aim to enhance
the empirical foundation for 3GPP’s development of sensing and communication propagation
channels as part of their ongoing Rel-19 studies.

The Phase II report extends these efforts by offering additional measurements for
communication channels within the 7-24 GHz range and sensing channel models that
encompass both targets and environmental settings. Measurements from Apple, AT&T,
Keysight, Nokia, NYU WIRELESS, Sharp, and Qualcomm cover a diverse array of communication
morphologies, including Rural Macrocell (RMa), Urban Macrocell (UMa), Urban Microcell (UMi),
Indoor Factory (InF), and Indoor Hotspot (InH), as well as penetration loss measurements.
3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.901 [2] is found to be applicable to 7-24GHz bands, but some
deviations have been observed. Suburban Macrocell (SMa) measurements match the ITUSMa
model far better than the 3GPP UMa model, supporting the inclusion of a dedicated SMa
class in TR 38.901. Measurements from Apple, Ericsson, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), and NYU WIRELESS provide Radar Cross Section (RCS) characterization of
targets such as vehicles, drones, humans, and robotic arms, demonstrating that a unified RCS
modeling framework can be adapted to a variety of ISAC targets. Nokia’s contributions focus
on sensing background characterization in urban street canyon environments and provide a
more rigorous sensing background channel model that captures the non-sparsity of clutter
echoes.

Although many of the measurements reported here have been leveraged by member
companies in 3GPP Rel-19 channel modeling efforts, the extensive measurement-based
modeling and analysis presented in this report are crucial for understanding propagation
fundamentals. They provide empirical evidence supporting the validity and showcase potential
limitations of standardized channel models, serving as a foundation for future studies aimed at
model enrichment and refinement.