A Tutorial on MIMO-OFDM ISAC: From Far-Field to Near-Field

Dai Q, Zeng Y, Wang H, You C, Zhou C, Cheng H, Xu X, Jin S, Lee Swindlehurst A, Eldar YC, Schober R, Zhang R, You X (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Book Volume: 28

Pages Range: 4319-4358

DOI: 10.1109/COMST.2025.3650568

Abstract

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is one of the key usage scenarios for future sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication networks, where communication and sensing (C&S) services are simultaneously provided through shared wireless spectrum, signal processing modules, hardware, and network infrastructure. Such an integration is strengthened by the technology trends in 6G, such as denser network nodes, larger antenna arrays, wider bandwidths, higher frequency bands, and more efficient utilization of spectrum and hardware resources, which incentivize and empower enhanced sensing capabilities. Moreover, emerging applications such as Internet-of-Everything (IoE), autonomous ground and aerial vehicles, virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), and connected intelligence have intensified the demands for both high-quality C&S services, accelerating the development and implementation of ISAC in wireless networks. As in contemporary communication systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is expected to be the dominant waveform for ISAC, motivating the need for study of both the potential benefits and challenges of OFDM ISAC. Thus, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive tutorial overview of ISAC systems enabled by large-scale multi-input multi-output (MIMO) and OFDM technologies and discuss their fundamental principles, advantages, and enabling signal processing methods. To this end, a unified MIMO-OFDM ISAC system model is first introduced, followed by four frameworks for estimating parameters across the spatial, delay, and Doppler domains, including parallel one-domain, sequential one-domain, joint two-domain, and joint three-domain parameter estimation. Next, sensing algorithms and performance analysis are presented in detail for far-field scenarios where uniform plane wave (UPW) propagation is valid, followed by extensions to near-field scenarios where uniform spherical wave (USW) characteristics must be considered. Finally, the paper presents open challenges and outlines promising avenues for future research on MIMO-OFDM ISAC.

Authors with CRIS profile

Robert Schober Lehrstuhl für Digitale Übertragung (IDC)

Involved external institutions

Southeast University / 东南大学 CN China (CN) University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) US United States (USA) (US) Southern University of Science and Technology CN China (CN) Northeastern University US United States (USA) (US) National University of Singapore (NUS) SG Singapore (SG)

How to cite

APA:

Dai, Q., Zeng, Y., Wang, H., You, C., Zhou, C., Cheng, H.,... You, X. (2026). A Tutorial on MIMO-OFDM ISAC: From Far-Field to Near-Field. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 28, 4319-4358. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2025.3650568

MLA:

Dai, Qianglong, et al. "A Tutorial on MIMO-OFDM ISAC: From Far-Field to Near-Field." IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 28 (2026): 4319-4358.

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