Feature: Test & Measurement


5G NTN:


Non-terrestrial networks for 5G mobile communications


By Reiner Stuhlfauth, Technology Manager, Rohde & Schwarz test and measurement perspective. What does the popular Foo Fighters song


transition to non-terrestrial networks is a paradigm shiſt that both opens up exiting new use cases and presents new challenges. Below, we look at what this means from a


A


s 6G research advances, the 5G mobile communications standard continues to develop toward ambitious targets. Te


‘Learn to Fly’ have in common with 5G? In the future, cell phones will not only be able to connect to mobile networks via the closest base station but also via planes, satellites and drones acting as flying network nodes – cellular infrastructure is learning to fly. Te 3GPP standards development organisation is promoting this development under the name


5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (5G NTN), signalling a merging of mobile and satellite communications – two worlds that have always been separate.


Why all the effort? Te motivation behind such a large project is probably best illustrated by a statistic: in 2022, even though cellular coverage reached an impressive 80 per cent of the


Figure 1: A simplified representation of three-dimensional unified networks in 6G mobile communications. Satellites in different orbits will connect end-user devices to both mobile networks and base stations (backhaul). A satellite gateway on the ground will connect to the 5G core network.


32 Dec 2024/Jan 2025 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


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