Earth-Wide Networks from Extraterrestrial Sources: Uninterrupted Connectivity on the Ground and Aviation
Bejoy Pankajakshan serves as the chief technology and strategy officer at Mavenir.
In contrast to terrestrial networks (TN), which are reliant on ground-based towers and covered areas, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) utilize satellite infrastructure and high-altitude platforms orbiting the earth. These non-ground-based networks supplement TNs in expanding their capabilities, such as enhanced mobile broadband, by connecting remote and underserved regions, like rural areas, oceans, and airspaces. NTN technology is being incorporated into 5G terrestrial networks to provide distinct advantages that benefit both consumers and businesses.
Motivators for Non-Terrestrial Networks
Manifold benefits are derived from NTN deployment, including the extension of connectivity to previously unreachable areas. These include remote regions, oceans, and airspaces where TN infrastructure is impractical or economically unfeasible. By complementing TNs, NTNs contribute to network resilience by bolstering overall network reliability and ensuring continuous service in the event of natural disasters or infrastructure failures in the ground. Moreover, NTNs are competent in broadcasting or multicasting content efficiently across extensive territories, making them suitable for applications like software updates or emergency alerts.
NTNs are a budget-friendly solution for providing coverage to sparse population areas. In many instances, TN cellular towers are unsustainable due to factors, including low user density, extensive coverage requirements, toughened terrain, and high infrastructure costs. Establishing numerous towers to serve population centers with minimal usage and high costs is financially unviable.
Simplifying energy requirements in remote areas is one of the perks of utilizing NTNs. With fewer users relying on the TNs, lower power consumption is essential. Consequently, NTNs offer environmentally friendly connectivity with reduced carbon footprints in achieving widespread coverage.
Drawbacks of Non-Terrestrial Networks
Latency is one of the challenges confronting NTNs, as their satellites are located in higher orbits, resulting in longer transmission times than TNs. This drawback may be unfavorable for real-time applications requiring immediate response.
Expensive initial investments are required for satellite deployment and maintenance, making NTNs a costly endeavor. Additionally, there are higher operational costs associated with repairing technology in space, exacerbating the total cost of ownership. Integrating NTNs with existing TNs involves overcoming complex technical hurdles, such as spectrum management and signal interference. Necessitating economical handsets that support TN and NTN 5G specifications is essential for building a sustainable business case around NTN.
Present NTN Landscape
NTNs are currently undergoing standardization to ensure seamless connectivity between terrestrial and space-based networks via solutions such as space balloons, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. These options cater to various use cases, offering trade-offs between coverage area, latency, throughput, and user density.
The stable coverage offered by GEO satellites, in sync with Earth's rotation, is their major advantage. However, MEO/LEO satellites present unique challenges due to their constant motion and lower orbits, which provide better throughput and latency. This necessitates the establishment of a global network of ground stations to ensure persistent backhaul connectivity to TNs.
The NTN ecosystem has experienced significant transformation, transitioning from proprietary systems to industry-led, standards-based networks, thereby enabling single-handset compatibility with TNs.
Attempts to standardize NTN by 3GPP aim to ensure seamless connectivity in remote and underserved areas, complementing traditional TN. This effort represents a departure from past proprietary satellite systems, which required separate devices from conventional mobile devices.
Satellites' Role in Mobile Network Operator Strategies
Satellites have historically been instrumental in many operator networks, particularly for TN backhaul connectivity difficulties in scenarios where fiber or microwave links are unattainable due to terrain constraints. In these cases, NTNs can offer alternative communication paths, boosting network resilience. Since satellite coverage is mainly concentrated in low-population density areas, individual operators do not need to purchase the complete bandwidth of a satellite or even a single carrier. Instead, multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) can share the same spectrum to lower operating expenses. Satellite providers can potentially serve as neutral host operators, granting different MNOs access to their infrastructure and/or spectrum for maximizing revenue generation.
Selection Factors for Organizations and End Users for NTNs
Organizational leaders should evaluate their operational requirements, geographical footprints, and budget constraints to determine the potential benefits of incorporating NTNs into their communication infrastructure.
For business operations aiming to extend their geographic reach in remote areas, NTNs can provide essential connectivity. For critical services that cannot tolerate downtime, NTNs serve as an alternate communication layer for service continuity. Businesses must assess their data quality of service requirements and evaluate their applications' capacity to accommodate the latency associated with NTNs.
TNs generally offer reduced operational costs in densely populated areas; however, they may have high capital expenditures and OPEX in remote locations. In remote locations, NTNs are more cost-effective for extensive coverage with lower initial investments.
Open RAN: An Optimal Match for TN-NTN Architecture
Open RAN enables efficient handover between TN and NTN as users traverse coverage regions, thereby optimizing spectrum usage, power budgeting, and satellite-related coverage. Open RAN and NTN convergence are poised to revolutionize the telecommunications industry, fostering pervasive user connectivity and excellent customer satisfaction.
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Bejoy Pankajakshan, as the chief technology and strategy officer at Mavenir, could potentially lead the company's initiatives to integrate Open RAN technology with non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), further improving the handover between terrestrial networks (TNs) and NTNs.
To optimize the advantages of NTNs for businesses with critical services in remote areas, Pankajakshan might collaborate with satellite providers to develop economical handsets that support 5G TN and NTN specifications, ensuring seamless communication for vital applications.