5G Fusion: Connecting the World with Seamless Terrestrial-Satellite Services

The innovative 5G-HUB project paves the way for resilient 5G services by integrating terrestrial and satellite networks for seamless vertical handover.

In today’s digital age, the reliance on secure communication and digital services in modern societies underscores the need for robust, ubiquitous network infrastructures. This necessity becomes even more apparent in critical sectors like public safety, emergency management, and defense, where the demand for high levels of reliability, availability, and quality of service surpasses traditional commercial communication standards. The European initiative, known as the 5G-HUB project, aims to explore and demonstrate novel approaches to integrating terrestrial and satellite networks to enable continuous and resilient 5G Mission-Critical (MCx) services.

The 5G-HUB project is part of the broader European GOVSATCOM strategy, a cornerstone of the EU’s space policy focused on ensuring secure governmental communications. This strategy coordinates and federates European satellite resources to provide institutional users with centralized management mechanisms, common policies, and guaranteed service levels. The future European satellite system, IRIS², a multi-orbit constellation encompassing Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites, will play a pivotal role in enhancing secure communications over the next decade.

The primary objective of the 5G-HUB project is to integrate terrestrial networks (TN) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) to address the diverse requirements of mission-critical services. While terrestrial networks offer high capacity and low latency in densely populated areas, they are susceptible to infrastructure failures and disruptions during crisis situations. On the other hand, satellite networks provide global coverage and rapid deployment but face limitations in latency, capacity, and cost. By combining the strengths of TN and NTN, the project aims to create a robust and resilient system.

The project consortium includes leading organizations such as Università degli Studi di Siena, Centre Tecologic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya, Hisdesat Servicios Estrategicos, and Telecom Italia Spa, among others. EUSPA, the EU Agency for the Space Programme, provides financial support for the project.

An integrated approach is at the core of the 5G-HUB project, focusing on seamless vertical handover mechanisms to ensure service continuity for mission-critical applications. Vertical handover allows for the seamless transfer of active communication sessions between different access technologies without service interruption. This capability is essential for emergency communications, telemedicine, and operational coordination, where even brief disruptions can have severe consequences.

The project introduces the concept of the Smart Gateway, a functional element responsible for monitoring connectivity conditions and managing traffic redirection during vertical handover phases. By preserving user IP addresses and application sessions, the Smart Gateway ensures service continuity across TN and NTN, even during transitions between networks. The project also emphasizes network softwarization, virtualization, and cloud-native design to enhance system efficiency and reduce operational costs.

Integrated TN-NTN user terminals play a crucial role in enabling vertical handover between terrestrial and satellite networks. These terminals, based on software-defined solutions, are designed to adapt to various operational scenarios seamlessly. The project’s demonstrations in realistic scenarios, such as large-scale emergency management and medical support at sea, showcase the practical application and benefits of the integrated TN-NTN system.

As the 5G-HUB project aligns with the future IRIS² system, it holds strategic significance in optimizing European LEO resources within a 5G ecosystem. The project’s outcomes contribute to technological advancements, architectural models, and potential inputs for future standardization activities, shaping the evolution of TN-NTN integration in subsequent 3GPP releases.

In summary, the 5G-HUB project serves as a vital link between terrestrial 5G networks and next-generation governmental satellite communications. By fostering innovation in TN-NTN integration, vertical handover support, and service continuity for mission-critical applications, the project advances the creation of a secure, resilient, and interoperable European communications ecosystem in alignment with the GOVSATCOM vision and the strategic goals of IRIS².

Acknowledgments:

This article is supported by the 5G-HUB research project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 101180143. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or EUSPA.

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