5G NTN and SATCOM - 5G NTN for constellation of satellites

Two-way satellite access networks are of interest to many markets, as they provide Internet access in rural areas and mobile Internet access to large groups of mobile users (train, plane, ship), where a commercially viable broadband service is difficult to achieve. They are particularly attractive for providing services anywhere, anytime, including coverage over vast areas, and a wide range of broadcast services to millions of users.

Satellite networks are difficult for terrestrial operators to integrate, due to the lack of common interfaces for resource management and control between terrestrial and satellite networks. The ground segment of satellite systems has historically exploited the standard defined by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) organization [TE 6 154] , with particular physical layers, leading to specific link-layer mechanisms. The emergence of standardization in the 3 ^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for satellite systems is an opportunity for these systems to offer standard management interfaces, both in terms of data and control, and an architecture model based on standardized low and high Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layers, integrating mobility routing, quality of service and security functionalities based on Service-Based Architecture (SBA) services.

The convergence of 5G networks and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) is creating an ecosystem rich in opportunities, facilitating in particular the integration of satellites into terrestrial infrastructures [102841]. Satellite systems offer efficient broadcast services [TE 7 538] that could be integrated into the systems defined by 3GPP [TE 7 542] . For NTN operators, this represents an opportunity to benefit from a broad supplier base and a significant ecosystem,...