The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with MediaTek, Eutelsat, Airbus Defence and Space, Sharp, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and Rohde & Schwarz, has successfully conducted the world’s first 5G-Advanced Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) trial compliant with 3GPP Release 19 specifications.
The test is done over Eutelsat’s OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites which is a critical step toward integrating satellite and terrestrial networks to deliver seamless, ubiquitous connectivity.
Using OneWeb satellites equipped with Airbus-built transparent transponders, the trial connected MediaTek’s NR NTN chipset with ITRI’s NR-NTN gNB, running on a 50MHz Ku-band channel and featuring conditional handover (CHO). Sharp’s flat panel antenna acted as the user terminal, linking through the ESA’s gateway antenna at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands to a 5G core network on the ground.
The project, supported by ESA’s Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity program, showcases how 3GPP-based standards enable interoperability between satellite constellations and mobile networks. This integration promises to reduce access costs while extending broadband availability to remote regions across the globe.
ESA’s Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity program continues to drive the fusion of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks that support Europe’s digital transformation through projects like the ECSAT 5G/6G Hub in the UK and the ESTEC Telecom 5G/6G Lab in the Netherlands. These initiatives aim to standardize and expand global network integration for industries ranging from autonomous transport to telemedicine and tele-education.
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