The way forward for wi-fi – are non-terrestrial networks the important thing? (Reader Discussion board)

During the last 20 years, the world has skilled widespread innovation in wi-fi applied sciences. We now have seen breakthroughs in Wi-Fi connectivity, mobile, and important progress in linked gadgets. Nevertheless patchy protection, dropped calls, and inconsistent information speeds proceed to problem 4G and 5G networks, stemming from the inherent limitations of terrestrial networks. As we transfer in the direction of creating world 5G service protection, non-terrestrial community (NTN) know-how has the potential to remove these challenges.

Terrestrial versus non-terrestrial networks

As their names suggest, community suppliers deploy terrestrial networks on the bottom and NTNs are deployed in Earth orbit. Utilizing satellite tv for pc methods or airborne platforms, NTNs allow telecommunication providers to succeed in distant areas that may be impractical for conventional ground-based networks. A typical terrestrial 5G telecommunications community, comprised of consumer tools (UE), radio entry community (RAN), and core is proven beneath in Determine 1. In a nutshell, UEs want to speak with a 5G RAN, which relays voice and information from the UEs to the 5G core and again. The problem is that this depends on cell towers which have restricted capability with regards to serving a number of customers.

To beat this problem, community operators sometimes set up one cell tower each 300-800 meters in densely populated areas and each 2-3 kilometers elsewhere. However protecting a rustic this fashion, or the planet, proves impractical and really costly.

NTNs supply a extra sensible answer, considerably increasing 5G protection worldwide. Leveraging satellites or airborne automobiles as RAN transceivers not solely helps extra demand and site visitors, but additionally provides connectivity in hard-to-reach areas. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless challenges with regards to NTN networks. One of many key hurdles to beat is making certain bodily, protocol, and software layer compatibility, in addition to addressing points associated to requirements compliance and efficiency benchmarks.

Customary our bodies such because the third Era Partnership Undertaking (3GPP) have launched NTN into the 5G customary. Because of this engineers can add satellite tv for pc hyperlinks to 5G gadgets, enabling connectivity whether or not it’s from earth-based or non-terrestrial infrastructure. The introduction of 3GPP 5G NTNs has additionally expanded the satellite tv for pc communications market past proprietary methods to terrestrial cell community operators. This permits the seamless integration between 5G-compliant NTNs and terrestrial cell networks, permitting customers direct entry to satellite tv for pc cell providers.

This can be a nice step ahead, however there are nonetheless challenges with regards to proprietary NTNs that function exterior of ordinary necessities. For instance, SpaceX’s Starlink provides world web entry, however as a result of Starlink operates exterior of 3GPP requirements, customers nonetheless want a further gateway gadget for Starlink web entry. 

Satellites and airborne automobiles 

In relation to satellite-based NTNs these include NTN gateways, service hyperlinks, and feeder hyperlinks. There are a couple of completely different roles that the satellite tv for pc can play, one in all which is appearing as a relay hyperlink between UEs and NTN gateways, proven in Determine 2 beneath.

Alternatively, community builders may use the satellite tv for pc as a gNB base station, as seen in Determine 3. Moreover, as proven in Determine 4 satellites would possibly function as backhaul between a distant terrestrial RAN and 5G core. A community operator would possibly use a satellite tv for pc as a relay, gNB, or backhaul to increase community protection to distant areas, present redundancy in case of terrestrial community failures, and assist high-capacity, high-speed information transmission.

Satellites are usually not the one possibility with regards to 5G NTNs because the requirements additionally assist airborne automobiles. The 5G customary contains excessive altitude platforms (HAPs) flying at altitudes of 8 – 50 kilometers, together with heavier-than-air methods like airplanes or drones and lighter-than-air methods like airships or balloons. Just like satellites, they perform as clear relays, base stations, or backhauls. HAPs allow quicker, simpler, and cheaper launches in comparison with satellites. Nevertheless, they sometimes solely keep airborne for hours or days, solely enabling non permanent protection.

The long run

Whether or not counting on terrestrial networks or NTNs, customers anticipate the identical service high quality. Whereas terrestrial networks supply restricted capability and protection, NTNs additionally include their very own distinctive set of challenges, akin to latency points because of satellite tv for pc altitude, handover complexity given the simultaneous motion of customers and satellites, and Doppler shift in frequency associated to satellite tv for pc orbit velocity.

NTNs are generally mentioned with regards to use circumstances for nationwide safety, protection, and catastrophe response. Whereas these emergency eventualities would undoubtedly profit from ubiquitous community protection, NTNs would possibly show much more impactful commercially—significantly for transportation and industrial IoT purposes. Enabling communication in tough to succeed in locations could have a big impact with regards to supporting offshore oil rigs, service provider transport, fishing crews or airline communication. In relation to industrial IoT purposes, most use circumstances relate to monitoring and sensing applied sciences, akin to real-time asset monitoring, tools monitoring, and sensible farming. These purposes are likely to work at decrease information charges, however they do have to satisfy their very own requirements which 5G NTN is designed to assist.

Basically, NTNs are usually not a silver bullet for delivering worldwide connectivity. Nevertheless, requirements our bodies are planning enhancements to NTNs in future releases of the 5G New Radio and 6G requirements. Enhancements embody greater information charges utilizing phased array beamforming and higher protection utilizing extra environment friendly transmission strategies. Likewise, proprietary NTNs will proceed innovating primarily based on market calls for. It’s by each broadband and industrial IoT purposes, that NTNs will revolutionize wi-fi connectivity and allow quick, dependable community protection worldwide.