Telecoms.com’s survey: 5G NTNs to highlight service reliability and network redundancy
Telecoms.com survey results, presented in the report Private networks and NTNs: Transcending the boundaries of 5G, highlight the reinforcement of service reliability and additional layer of network redundancy as the most frequently selected impact of the convergence of 5G and Non Terrestrial Networks (NTN)s, according to nearly half of respondents. Engineers and developers are the biggest proponents of this impact with more than three in five respondents highlighting its value from a technical perspective. The extra network redundancy is backup connectivity from NTNs to existing 5G networks (e,g, dye to a cell tower failure or massive power outage) and the ability to ensure continued service whether in times of crisis or otherwise.
Meanwhile, two in five C-Suite executives think it’s either too early to determine the benefits or that NTNs will only achieve a minimal impact on 5G performance, hinting that they may need more convincing to achieve full buy-in.
‘Deployment costs’ are identified as the top concern when converging NTNs with 5G for many organisations in telecoms and particularly so for CSPs, while ‘cost of infrastructure’ is the most frequently selected key challenge slowing down the large-scale adoption of private 5G.
The cost barrier is neither new nor surprising for these topics, or for many other telecom topics being surveyed, but what this is compounded with now is a global economy that hasn’t been stable for some time, whether due to the global pandemic, or the ever-growing number of wars around the world.
On private 5G, the report also highlights several 5G standalone features that are considered most important to enterprises. Here, network responsiveness (low latency, handover time, and ultra-low data rates) is flagged as the top feature closely followed by network slicing in radio (that is, reserving capacity for specific applications).
The report argues that “while these results shed light on key technical capabilities that telecom professionals consider to be critical for the use of enterprises in a private 5G environment, it is also important to note that focusing on business outcomes and use cases versus technical capabilities is likely more meaningful in discussions with enterprises.”
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3GPP introduced NTN into its Release 17, which provided an initial framework and Release 18 which included enhancements. 3GPP continues to work on NTN in Release 19 and beyond, focusing on aspects like onboard satellite processing, Ku-band frequencies, and integration with terrestrial networks.
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Release 17: This release introduced the initial framework for 5G NTN, including support for NB-IoT and 5G NR NTN.
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Release 18: This release focused on performance enhancements and additional frequency bands for 5G NTN.
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Release 19 and beyond: Future releases, including 19, will continue to build on the NTN standard, with plans to enhance onboard satellite processing, expand to Ku-band frequencies for 5G NTN, and improve the integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
3GPP looks forward to the continuous collaboration with ITU-R WP 4B for the finalization of Recommendation ITU-R M.[IMT-2020-SAT.SPECS], which will be the official standard for 5G satellite to ground communications.
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References:
https://tc-resources.telecoms.com/free/w_defa8859/
https://www.3gpp.org/technologies/ntn-overview
ITU-R recommendation IMT-2020-SAT.SPECS from ITU-R WP 5B to be based on 3GPP 5G NR-NTN and IoT-NTN (from Release 17 & 18)
Standards are the key requirement for telco/satellite integration: D2D and satellite-based mobile backhaul
5G connectivity from space: Exolaunch contract with Sateliot for launch and deployment of LEO satellites
Momentum builds for wireless telco- satellite operator engagements
Samsung announces 5G NTN modem technology for Exynos chip set; Omnispace and Ligado Networks MoU
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Dec 23, 2025 Update: AST SpaceMobile Announces Successful Orbital Launch of BlueBird 6, the Largest Commercial Communications Array Ever Deployed in Low Earth Orbit
The BlueBird 6 mission lifted off at 10:25 p.m. EST on December 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. BlueBird 6 becomes now the largest commercial communications array ever deployed in low Earth orbit, spanning nearly 2,400 square feet, three times larger than AST SpaceMobile’s previous record-breaking BlueBirds 1-5, engineered to deliver commercial and government applications, including high-speed 4G and 5G space-based cellular broadband directly to standard, unmodified smartphones, and government applications that benefit from the power, size, and patented technology of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird spacecrafts.
“BlueBird 6 is a breakthrough moment for AST SpaceMobile,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “This launch validates years of U.S. innovation and American manufacturing, executed by our team and marks the transition to scaled deployment. With BlueBird 6 now in orbit, we are firmly on the path to delivering true space-based cellular broadband directly to everyday smartphones, at a global scale.”
Today’s successful launch kicks off our next phase of execution and keeps us on track to launch 45–60 satellites by the end of 2026, with launches planned every one or two months on average.
BlueBird 6 was assembled, integrated, and tested at AST SpaceMobile’s manufacturing facilities in Midland, Texas. AST SpaceMobile operates nearly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and operations facilities worldwide, supported by a workforce of more than 1,800 employees and a technology platform backed by over 3,800 patents and patent-pending claims.
AST SpaceMobile has agreements with over 50 mobile network operators globally with nearly 3 billion subscribers combined and strategic partnerships with AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, American Tower, Bell and stc Group.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222922862/en/AST-SpaceMobile-Announces-Successful-Orbital-Launch-of-BlueBird-6-the-Largest-Commercial-Communications-Array-Ever-Deployed-in-Low-Earth-Orbit