Satellite operator Eutelsat Group announced on Monday it has conducted what it says is world’s first successful trial of 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology over its Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites.
In addition to the LEO satellites – which are built by Airbus and carry Ku-band service links and Ka-band feeder links – the trial utilised the MediaTek NR NTN test chipset, as well as an NR NTN test gNB provided by Taiwan's ITRI. Sharp and Rhode & Schwarz provided the antenna array and test equipment.
Eutelsat said the 5G user terminal successfully connected to the 5G core via the satellite link and exchanged traffic.
All equipment used in the trial supports the 3GPP Release 17 specifications for NTN implementations of 5G, which enables satellites to seamlessly integrate with and complement terrestrial 5G networks.
“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 Elodie Viau, head of space systems engineering at Airbus.
Eutelsat Group’s chief engineering officer Arlen Kassighian noted that 5G NTN will be a key feature of the European Union’s recently greenlighted IRIS2 multi-orbit constellation that will provide surveillance and security services to EU governments.
That said, Eutelsat and other satellite operators have been increasingly keen to play in the NTN space, particularly in the realm of direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services – which are also based on Release 17 – that enable ordinary 4G and 5G smartphones to connect to satellites when terrestrial coverage is unavailable.
With the standardisation of Release 17, D2D and NTN are seen as potential game changers in developing countries where terrestrial mobile coverage gaps remain difficult to fill.
Whether the Eutelsat NTN test is a world first may depend on who you ask or the criteria used. In 2023, China Telecom, ZTE and Beijing-based SpaceIoT claimed to have completed the first 5G NTN deployment in a marine scenario.
