Verizon Leads 6G Momentum with Nine New Forum Members and Successful Real-World ISAC and AI-Native Trials
Verizon expands its 6G Innovation Forum and showcases ISAC and AI edge trials as it positions 6G for real-world use ahead of 2028.
Rhea-AI Summary
Verizon (VZ) expanded its Verizon 6G Innovation Forum by adding nine new members, including AWS, Cisco, Intel, NVIDIA, MediaTek and Palo Alto Networks, to accelerate development of AI-native 6G architectures and use cases.
The enlarged forum, which already includes Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Meta and Qualcomm Technologies, aims to advance 6G through trials of new spectrum, bandwidths and applications aligned with global standards bodies such as 3GPP. Verizon highlighted recent real-world Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) trials, including an AI-powered crowd density detection demo with Samsung over 5G Advanced on a virtualized RAN, and a drone and vehicle tracking trial with Qualcomm using millimeter-wave spectrum while maintaining 5G Standalone service. Verizon also showcased a prototype AI Sports Companion powered by its edge network, Meta AI glasses, a local Small Language Model and NVIDIA DGX Spark to deliver hands-free, real-time sports insights. The company views the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a proving ground on the path to commercial 6G deployment.
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Forum Expands Ecosystem Readiness Alongside Groundbreaking Pre-Standard ISAC and Live Sports Companion Milestones
NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon today announced a major acceleration in the development of next-generation wireless architectures with the formal expansion of the Verizon 6G Innovation Forum (6GIF). Nine industry heavyweights—Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Intel, Keysight Technologies, MediaTek, NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI Solutions—have officially joined the forum, launched last year to establish an open, diversified, and resilient 6G ecosystem and develop foundational 6G technologies.
“By expanding our Innovation Forum and refining live edge-AI trials today, we are ensuring the AI-native 6G network is built from day one to scale 5G Advanced capabilities and translate these next-generation technologies into meaningful, real-world experiences for our customers,” said Yago Tenorio, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Technology Development at Verizon. “With 6G, our collaborative objective is fundamentally bottom-up and use-case-driven. We are designing the next generation of connectivity with a specific target already in mind: enabling and scaling AI workloads and the massive AI ecosystem—particularly the emerging class of AI-enabled wearables like untethered smart glasses, as well as pioneering Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) technologies.”
The Verizon 6G Innovation Forum which includes founding members Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Meta, and Qualcomm Technologies focuses on unlocking the full potential of 6G by trialing new use cases, testing new spectrum bands and bandwidth, and ensuring global alignment with global standards bodies like the 3GPP. The arrival of the nine new members injects critical multi-disciplinary capabilities across cloud services, advanced silicon and accelerated computing, independent automated test emulation, network security and immersive device graphics simulation.
Pioneering Real-World ISAC Trials with Founding Partners
To move 6G from theoretical discussion into practical reality, Verizon highlighted recent successful field trials with founding members Samsung and Qualcomm targeting Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) use cases. ISAC essentially transforms the cellular network into a massive, distributed radar-like sensor without the need for physical cameras. Using 5G Advanced capabilities, the companies explored how ISAC could support public safety, environmental awareness and event management, creating a path to evolve these capabilities with 6G.
- Crowd Density Detection Demo with Samsung: Staged live at a major international soccer celebration in Dallas, Texas, this milestone represented the industry’s first AI-powered ISAC trial on a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) for crowd detection. Using a single 5G base station and 40MHz of CBRS spectrum, the network tracked the raw radio variations from six localized Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Samsung’s AI RAN and edge AI platform, Network in a Server (NIS) then analyzed these ambient wireless signal changes to generate real-time crowd-density heatmaps on commercial phones and a tablet. The trial validated how network-native sensing can enable real-time intelligence for large-scale events, which could allow event organizers to monitor spectator flows in real-time, streamline gate operations, reduce concession line wait times, and proactively address overcrowding risks.1
- Drone and Vehicle Safety Tracking Demo with Qualcomm: Conducted at Qualcomm’s San Diego campus, this trial demonstrated the network's ability to seamlessly multitask. Utilizing 100 to 400MHz of millimeter-wave spectrum and four synchronized Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs), the system successfully mapped and tracked the position and velocity of an airborne target and moving ground vehicles. Crucially, the network maintained radar-like tracking of the drone while simultaneously providing uninterrupted, high-speed 5G Standalone (SA) mobile communications to a phone user on the ground. This highlights 6G's potential to provide the foundational, secure tracking infrastructure required for future autonomous drone safety.
Trialing an AI Sports Companion Application
Further driving its strategy of building infrastructure around the applications of tomorrow, Verizon showcased a prototype of an AI Sports Companion application. Next-generation, AI-native devices and wearables like smart glasses will demand ultra-low latency and a more balanced uplink-downlink model as the glasses will generate as much uplink data as downloading content.
Powered directly by the Verizon Edge Network, this research prototype application showed how that architectural shift could translate into a premium fan experience. Wearing Meta AI glasses, users could enjoy a game in a stadium or at home completely hands-free without looking down at a phone. Utilizing an ultra-fast edge network with a locally optimized Small Language Model (SLM), a NVIDIA DGX Spark and statistics from SportsDataIO, the application allowed users to verbally ask for real-time player statistics, live score interpretations, or game-winning probabilities, receiving instant, spoken answers right in their ear. The prototype was designed to explore how future technology could eliminate the friction of juggling multiple apps and keep fans immersed in the game while providing deep, real-time insights.
The Path to 6G Deployment
Looking forward, Verizon 6GIF members will continue to share learnings from future ecosystem demonstrations involving ISAC, digital twins, robotics, AI and advanced wearables. Verizon views the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as the ultimate interim proving ground on the road to commercial 6G deployment.
With Verizon’s dedicated 6G Lab already established directly in Los Angeles, the host city will serve as a live, real-world stage to stress-test the massive capacity demands and early use cases of the AI-native era, delivering practical user experiences that prove and validate the next generation of wireless technology.
This announcement was originally published by Verizon. Read the original press release.
Media contact:
Chris Ashraf
Christina.moon.ashraf@verizon.com
201-320-4259
1The crowd sensing demo measures crowd density which is the number of people in a given area, at any given time. Individual users or objects are not identified. No information is obtained about the identity of the individuals.
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FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Which new companies joined the Verizon 6G Innovation Forum?
Nine new members joined the Verizon 6G Innovation Forum: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Intel, Keysight Technologies, MediaTek, NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, Rohde & Schwarz and VIAVI Solutions. Their participation adds capabilities in cloud services, advanced silicon and accelerated computing, automated test emulation, network security and immersive device graphics simulation.
What did the ISAC crowd density trial with Samsung demonstrate?
At a major international soccer celebration in Dallas, a single 5G base station using 40MHz of CBRS spectrum tracked radio variations from six Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Samsung’s AI RAN and Network in a Server platform converted these into real-time crowd-density heatmaps on commercial devices, illustrating how network-native sensing could support event management by monitoring spectator flows and potential overcrowding.
How did the Qualcomm ISAC demo combine sensing and connectivity?
At Qualcomm’s San Diego campus, the trial used 100 to 400MHz of millimeter-wave spectrum and four synchronized Transmission and Reception Points to map and track the position and velocity of an airborne drone and moving ground vehicles. The system maintained radar-like tracking while simultaneously providing uninterrupted, high-speed 5G Standalone mobile service to a phone user on the ground.
What is Verizon’s AI Sports Companion prototype and how does it work?
The AI Sports Companion is a research prototype that uses Verizon’s edge network, a locally optimized Small Language Model, a NVIDIA DGX Spark system and data from SportsDataIO. Using Meta AI glasses, fans can verbally request real-time player statistics, score interpretations or game-winning probabilities and receive spoken answers, aiming to provide hands-free, immersive sports viewing without switching between apps.
How does Verizon plan to use the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics for 6G development?
Verizon sees the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as an interim proving ground on the way to commercial 6G deployment. With a dedicated 6G Lab already in Los Angeles, the company plans to use the host city as a live environment to stress-test massive capacity demands and early AI-native use cases, validating practical user experiences for next-generation wireless technology.
What privacy safeguards were highlighted for the crowd density sensing demo?
The crowd sensing demo measures crowd density, defined as the number of people in a given area at a given time. Individual users or objects are not identified, and no information is obtained about the identity of individuals, as described by the company.
What recent financial scale did Verizon report?
Verizon reported that it generated $138.2 billion in revenues in 2025, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500.