IoT-NTN

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)

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Backgrounder:

Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are networks or segments of networks that use either Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating typically between 8 and 50km altitudes, including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) or satellites in different constellations to carry a transmission equipment relay node or a base station:

  • LEO (Low Earth Orbit): Circular orbit in altitudes of typ. 500-2.000km (lower delay and better link budget but larger number of satellites needed for coverage)
  • MEO (Medium Earth Orbit): Circular orbit in altitudes of typ. 8.000-20.000km
  • GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit): Circular orbit 35.786 km above the Earth’s equator (Note: Due to gravitational forces a GEO satellite is still moving within a range of a few km around its nominal orbital position).
  • HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbiting): Elliptical orbit around the earth.

Figure 1: Illustration of the classes of orbits of satellites [source: TR 22.822]

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Future ITU-R NTN standard – Recommendation ITU-R M.[IMT-2020-SAT.SPECS]:

ITU-R SG04  Circular  134  invited proposal submissions for candidate radio interface technologies for the satellite component of the radio interface(s) for IMT-2020 (ITU-R M.2150 recommendation) and invitation to participate in their subsequent evaluation.  Acting on behalf of 3GPP (which it is a member of), ATIS recently submitted three 3GPP documents to ITU-R WP’s 5B and 5D for consideration.  The submitted material consists of 3GPP Releases 17 and 18 and it is provided in the following documents:

1.  3GPP 5G-NTN: RIT 

o NR-NTN

2.  3GPP 5G-NTN: SRIT

o Component RIT: NR-NTN

o Component RIT: IoT-NTN

Legend: 

NTN=Non Terrestrial Network

RIT: Radio Interface Technology

SRIT: Set of Radio Interface Technologies

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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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Key Enhancements and Features in 3GPP Releases 17 and 18:
  • Release 17:
    • Foundation for 5G NTN: Established the foundation for integrating 5G with non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), enabling satellite connectivity for 5G services. 
    • Focus on Transparent Architecture: Rel-17 NTN was based on a transparent (bent-pipe) architecture, where the satellite acts as a radio repeater, limiting payload complexity and enabling early deployment. 
    • Initial Standardization: 3GPP pursued a range of solutions for 5G non-terrestrial networking (NTN) based on options for the type of non-terrestrial platform and the use cases supported. 
    • IoT-NTN: Introduced IoT-NTN, enabling satellite connectivity for Internet of Things devices. 
    • Frequency Bands: Focused on L-band and S-band in FR1 for NTN. 
  • Release 18 (5G-Advanced):
    • NTN-IoT Enhancements: Further optimized NTN for IoT, including enhancements for Machine-Type Communication (MTC). 
    • New Service and Traffic Models: Introduced new service and traffic models to better support NTN applications. 
    • New Frequency Bands: Expanded frequency support to include Frequency Range 2 (FR2), spanning 17,300 MHz to 30,000 MHz. 
    • Focus on Ka-band: Prioritized the use of Ka-band for NR NTN deployment. 
    • Uplink Coverage and Mobility Enhancements: Improved uplink coverage and mobility/service continuity between NTN and terrestrial networks (NTN-TN) and between NTN networks (NTN-NTN). 
    • Network Verified UE Location: Enabled the network to verify UE location as per regulatory requirements. 
    • RedCap Enhancements: RedCap solutions were further optimized to reduce device cost and power consumption. 
    • Support for Store & Forward (S&F) operation based on regenerative payload: Release 18 and beyond will support Store & Forward operation based on regenerative payload, including the support of feeder link switchover. 

References:

2 ATIS contributions to ITU-R WP 5D and 5B (only available to ITU TIES account members)

https://www.3gpp.org/technologies/ntn-overview

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