What is Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) and how does OTFS implement it?

In July 2026, Cohere was awarded a DoW contract to build a mission-first ISAC sensing platform via integrating the Zak-OTFS wireless system, Multi-RAT Spectrum Sharing, and a novel Neural Receiver into the Linux Foundation’s OCUDU RAN stack.

The Universal Spectrum Multiplier and it’s ECHO dataset significantly increase the value of 5G assets by delivering 6G-grade capabilities, such as mission-first Integrated Sensing (ISAC) and AI-native optimization, on existing infrastructure now.

The researchers designed a Zak-OTFS based radar waveform that significantly improves target resolution in both delay and Doppler domains which minimize image blurriness and feature reduced signal processing complexity. Additionally, this discrete approach demonstrates a 100 dB reduction in sidelobes compared to traditional Zadoff-Chu sequences that are proposed for 5G.

Mathematically, 5G’s OFDM and 6G contenders like Zak-OTFS are actually specific versions of a single family called complex Hadamard-modulated pulse trains. This theoretical unification allows for a true Multi-G transceiver architecture capable of supporting multiple waveforms simultaneously. By multiplexing these different schemes, operators can better serve diverse user needs within a single 6G network.

This deep dive covers our collaboration with Bell, from the early integration of the Universal Spectrum Multiplier (USM) into a live OEM 5G base station to the groundbreaking Enhanced Channel Insight with Holographic Observability (ECHO) add-on. ECHO empowers millions of deployed 5G base stations globally to participate in AI-RAN without a forklift upgrade.