In line with its initial ambition, the project has contributed to defining and promoting an original NTN component concept (multi orbit satellite access) aiming at enhancing direct to device services with indoor coverage capability, but also addressing broadband connectivity to verticals among which automotive, and drones. The later are the most challenging to address given strict operational requirements in terms of terminal size, mass, and power consumption.
The project is currently contributing to promoting in 3GPP the need to evolve 5G system toward ubiquitous connectivity and increased resiliency and sustainability. In this perspective, the NTN component of 6G has a role to play for the:
• Ubiquitous connectivity through quasi seamless mobility between NTN and TN thanks to multi connectivity at access level,
• Resiliency: through the use of non-terrestrial network resources as back-up connectivity option in case of a terrestrial node failure,
• Sustainability (footprint): through a smart distribution of the traffic/signalling between the GSO and the NGSO layer to optimise the space segment energy consumption and sizing as well as terminal energy consumption.
Note that in the sustainability analysis, the project took into account guidance and feedback from the SNS-JU’s Sustainability Task Force.
The development/deployment cycles of systems are much longer in the space industry and in other vertical industries compared to the ones in mobile industry. Therefore, some partners of the project promoted in 3GPP the need to define a 6G system as an evolution of 5G system and ensuring to the maximum extent backward compatibility across the generation.
Thanks to the co-organization of successful ETSI events (conference and webinar) and key contributions to 3GPP meetings (6G use cases workshop, SA1 meetings), 6G-NTN has clearly established itself as the leading European research project on the NTN component in 6G.
Regarding national and international R&I collaboration, in the first reporting period, several synergies were identified and established with other national and international initiatives. More specifically, 6G-NTN is actively contributing to the SNS JU governance activities in the Steering Board, Technical Board, Architecture WG, and Sustainability and Communication Task Forces. In this framework, several presentations were made during the periodic remote meetings, in addition to physical meetings, which allowed to identify synergies with other NTN related projects. Moreover, the project has a key strategic role for all research institutions and university involved since it is addressing the initial sizing of a satellite constellation specifically designed and optimized for NTN and as such it will be the main reference paving the way for future NTN related activities also at national level.
