Feature: Test & Measurement
USE CASES FOR 5G NTN
Freight monitoring and Earth observation Logistics companies are deploying wireless sensors that can securely transmit data around the world. This lets them track and trace shipments to prove that goods are transported undamaged or ensure an uninterrupted cold chain all the way to the customer. Wireless sensors communicating via 5G NTN over terrestrial and non-terrestrial infrastructure also allow for geographic and animal observations on a much larger scale than ever before. Large-scale monitoring would enable rapid detection and geolocation of wildfires, weather information and insights into climate change, to name just three examples.
Reliable communications for disaster response In Europe, there is a lot of interest in resilient and sovereign mobile networks as well as new methods for establishing failsafe communications channels for disaster response. 5G NTN satellite connections and other flying network nodes can quickly compensate for mobile communications base stations rendered inoperable by floods or
world’s population, it covered less than 40 per cent of global land mass. Closing these huge coverage gaps around the world would involve significant costs with purely terrestrial infrastructure, which is why 5G NTN is expanding mobile communications with NTN platforms like satellites. Te main goals are to make mobile communications services globally available, increase resilience and improve how existing wireless technologies interact with each other.
Two use case categories In general, the 5G NTN standard envisages
two use case categories. Simple data services with low data rates and no special requirements in terms of latency or service quality are called Internet-of-Tings NTN, or simply IoT NTN. As the name suggests,
Table 1: Five frequency bands have already been provided for 5G NTN. More are bound to follow.
this category focuses on IoT applications, but on a global scale. Te second category is direct satellite communications (data and voice link), referred to as NR NTN. Initially, NR NTN will only allow for basic functions via satellite link, such as emergency calls on a smartphone or emails without large attachments. Technical advancements will then dramatically expand these capabilities. However, the data rates of non-terrestrial connections will likely never compete with those of their terrestrial counterparts, which is why 5G NTN will augment rather than replace ground mobile communications infrastructure.
Mobile communications development: From coexistence to integration Technologically, 5G NTN has grown out of a long-term evolution. Its origins stretch back to the time when terrestrial and non-terrestrial wireless networks, satellite television and mobile communications, for instance, were supposed to work side by side without interfering with each other. Today, we are starting to integrate non-terrestrial networks into existing 5G networks. Te 3GPP standardisation committee has specified the relevant technical requirements in Release 17. However, this integrated approach will only be an interim step. In
the long term, terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks are expected to merge into unified networks. Based on current plans, these unified networks will start springing up when the next generation of mobile communications (6G) arrives around 2030.
Challenges for the air interface Te introduction of 5G NTN presents certain challenges for both the air interface and the 5G protocol stack. Te effects of atmospheric conditions such as rain, cloud cover and the electromagnetic field of the ionosphere on the diffusion of wireless signals have to be taken into consideration because the signals are no longer being transmitted exclusively close to the ground. Development teams oſten use wireless channel models (fading profiles) provided by official standardisation bodies as a guide.
NTN frequencies and wave propagation Te fundamental question for every wireless technology is what frequencies are available. Te n255 and n256 bands (see Table 1) were the first frequencies approved by 3GPP for 5G NTN. Tey are in the conventional region below 6 GHz. Further bands have since been added, some in Frequency Region 2 (FR2 includes frequency bands from around 24 GHz to 71 GHz). Although these frequency ranges are familiar territory for 5G
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