Cheat sheet

Sensing — the network as a radar

3GPP's sensing work in under an hour

The shape of it

1 What it is, and what it is for

2 Who is building it, and where to look

1.2 A network that can see
Sensing is about objects that are not part of the network — no subscription, no radio of their own, no interest in being found.
2.2 What it is supposed to be for
The nine industries are what was studied. Drones are what is being specified. Those are different documents, and mixing them up is the commonest mistake in a conversation about this subject.
3.1 Who is building it, and what exists on paper
Three groups carry most of this. SA1 asked what it should do, RAN1 measured whether the radio can do it, SA2 designed how the system would.
4.1 Where to look yourself, and what nobody can tell you yet
The acronym is the handle. It survives revisions of the document that opened the work, and it is the only thing that separates this subject from the other work that shares its name.

1.2 A network that can see
Sensing is not positioning with a new name. Positioning answers "where is this connected device". Sensing answers "is there anything out there at all". The proposal says the first is already supported and the second is not.
2.2 What it is supposed to be for
"Sensing is for factories and hospitals" is a true statement about TR 22.837 and a false statement about anything now being written. Always ask which document somebody is describing.
3.2 Who is building it, and what exists on paper
An approved study report is not a finished feature. It means the homework is accepted. The rule-writing is separate work, it is running in four groups at once, and not one of those groups has published a specification yet.
4.3 Where to look yourself, and what nobody can tell you yet
"18 work items" and "14 acronyms" are both true of this subject, because two acronyms have more than one entry in the work plan ^[1]. Quoting either without saying which you mean changes the fact.

Every one was counted out of a file on this machine. Hover a row to read the question that produced it.

The 65 named sources it cites, by what they are.

Specification 17

Quoted wording 14

Work item 13

Wg 11

Meeting document 10

The same subject, overview — Enough to follow the conversation and know what to look up.
The same subject, in depth — The working reference: every mechanism, every parameter.
Every question of this course — 15 of them, on one page.
The final test — 10 questions, 60 per cent to pass.
Every source behind the course — 149 of them, each with its method.

18 Sensing entries in the work plan — folders under /var/www/whatthespec.net/data/data/wis whose metadata names this subject, read 2026-08-04