Fifth Generation Technology Standard for European Union Governmental Satellite Communications

5G non-terrestrial networks (5G-NTN) satellite networks will soon be able to handle all types of applications and provide service to a massive number of users.

In this complex and dynamic network ecosystem, and end-to-end adaptation of 5G-NTN towards the EU-GOVSATCOM services, requirements and use cases is of capital importance to efficiently deploy European governmental satellite services.

To enable such a vision, 5G-GOVSATCOM targets the development and evaluation in a natural user environment of different key enabling technologies that aim to provide full integration of 5G-NTN in the EU-GOVSATCOM framework.

In the radio technologies domain, 5G-GOVSATCOM targets the development of necessary adaptions and enhancements of radio access procedures to attend to geostationary mobile terminals in the exclusive governmental X-band.

Furthermore, the integration of 5G-NTN user equipment with an antenna operationally focused on on-the-move and on-the-pause scenarios are planned.

In parallel, in the inter-networking segments, 5G-GOVSATCOM aims to provide a seamless handover between terrestrial networks and NTN via a smart gateway while enhancing core-network functionalities.

Finally, all project developments are planned to be first validated in a controlled lab with satellite connectivity and, posteriorly, experimentally tested in close collaboration with final users.

These latter tests will constitute the first 5G-NTN trials with final users devoted to i) ubiquitous telemedicine in maritime areas and ii) crisis management connectivity bubble.