European Space Agency (ESA), MediaTek Inc. Eutelsat, Airbus Defence and Space, Sharp, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) have conducted the world’s first successful trial of 5G-Advanced Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology over the Eutelsat’s OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites compliant with 3GPP Rel-19 NR NTN configurations. The tests pave the way for deployment of 5G-Advanced NR NTN standard, which will lead to future satellite and terrestrial interoperability within a large ecosystem, lowering the cost of access and enabling the use of satellite broadband for NTN devices around the world.
The trial used OneWeb satellites, communicating with the MediaTek NR NTN chipset, and ITRI’s NR-NTN gNB, implementing 3GPP Release 19 specifications including Ku-band, 50MHz channel bandwidth and conditional handover (CHO). The OneWeb satellites, built by Airbus, carry transparent transponders, with Ku-band service link, Ka-band feeder link, and adopt the “Earth-moving beams” concept. During the trial, the NTN user terminal – with a flat panel antenna developed by SHARP – successfully connected over satellite to the on-ground 5G core using the gateway antenna located at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in The Netherlands.
The test was possible thanks to the support of ESA’s Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity programme, of the Directorate of ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications (CSC) and the support of ESA’s Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (TEC).
With the full integration of 3GPP standards shared and accepted by the entire mobile industry, all compatible satellite constellations will naturally and seamlessly complement terrestrial networks, enabling truly ubiquitous connectivity with economies of scale, and opening up new markets for smart phones, automotive and Internet-of-Things.
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“As a global leader in terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity, we continue in our mission to improve lives by enabling technology that connects the world around us, including areas with little to no cellular coverage,” said Mingxi Fan, Head of Wireless System and ASIC Engineering at MediaTek. “By making real-world connections with Eutelsat LEO satellites in orbit, together with our ecosystem partners, we are now another step closer to bring the next generation of 3GPP-based NR-NTN satellite wideband connectivity for commercial uses.
Daniele Finocchiaro, Head of Telecom R&D and Projects at Eutelsat, said: “We are proud to be among the leading companies working on NTN specifications, and to be the first satellite operator to test NTN broadband over Ku-band LEO satellites. Collaboration with important partners is a key element when working on a new technology, and we especially appreciate the support of the European Space Agency. Together, we will shape the future world of broadband connectivity, always aiming to provide better services to our customers”.
