Eutelsat Group said that it has become the first satellite operator to demonstrate the 5G air interface working on a commercial satellite fleet. Eutelsat in collaboration with MediaTek and Airbus Defence and Space, has conducted what the companies call the world's first 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) trial over OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
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Key Technologies and Partners Involved
Eutelsat said in a statement that the tests pave the way for the development of the 5G NTN standard, which will result in satellite and terrestrial network interoperability, lower the cost of access, and enable the use of satellite broadband for 5G devices globally.
The trial used Eutelsat OneWeb satellites, with the MediaTek NR NTN test chipset, and NR NTN test gNB provided by ITRI, implementing the 3GPP Release 17 specifications. Sharp, Rhode and Schwarz provided the antenna array and test equipment and the LEO satellites, built by Airbus, carry transponders, with Ku-band service link, Ka-band feeder link, and adopt the "Earth-moving beams" concept.
Successful 5G Connectivity via Satellite
During the trial, the 5G user terminal successfully connected to the 5G core via the satellite link and exchanged traffic, Eutelsat said Monday.
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"These trials show the commitment of Eutelsat Group in developing and adopting new technologies, in order to provide the best possible services to our customers, in collaboration with trusted partners. 5G NTN will be a key feature of the IRIS2 constellation, and Eutelsat is at the forefront of this innovation and active member of the ecosystem," said Chief Engineering Officer at Eutelsat Group.
"By making real-world connections with LEO satellites in orbit, we are now another step closer to bring the next generation of 3GPP-based NR-NTN satellite wideband connectivity for commercial use," said Head of Wireless System and ASIC Engineering at MediaTek.
"Demonstrating successful 5G NTN satellite connectivity using the Airbus built OneWeb satellites not only proves the flexibility and innovative design of the satellites but opens the prospect of true global satellite broadband connectivity for 5G devices," said Head of Space Systems Engineering at Airbus.
Also Read: KT and KT SAT Achieve 5G NTN Link with Geostationary Satellite
Expanding Ubiquitous Connectivity
With the integration of 5G standards shared and accepted by the entire mobile industry, Eutelsat said all compatible satellite constellations will complement terrestrial networks, enabling truly ubiquitous connectivity with economies of scale, and opening up new markets for smartphones, the automotive industry and the Internet-of-Things.
