T1: Non-Terrestrial Networks: Fundamentals, Standards, Performance, and Practice

Co-Organizer: Talha Khan, Ericsson, USA
Co-Organizer: Jonas Sedin, Ericsson, Sweden
Co-Organizer: Sebastian Euler, Ericsson, Sweden

Abstract: The continuous evolution of 5G technology aims to improve performance and addresses new use cases. Enabling 5G system to support non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) has been one direction under exploration in 3GPP. NTN has become an umbrella term for any network that involves flying objects, including satellite communication networks, high altitude platform systems, and air-to-ground networks. The inherent flexibility of 5G technology provides a solid foundation for adapting it to support NTNs. However, NTNs are complex systems, the design of which requires a holistic approach. The objective of this tutorial is to offer a comprehensive learning experience about the state-of-the-art research and development in NTNs. We will describe the fundamentals of NTNs, explain in detail the design aspects, provide an overview of the latest standardization development of NTNs in 3GPP, share design rationales influencing standardization, presenting system performance evaluation methodology and the latest results, delivering practical, current information on the best industry practices, and pointing out fruitful avenues for future research.

 

Talha Khan

Bio: Talha is currently working as a Senior Researcher at Ericsson Research Silicon Valley, USA. He received his M.S.E. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, USA, and his B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan. His research interests include cellular systems, non-terrestrial networks, stochastic geometry applications and energy harvesting. Before joining Ericsson, he has held summer internship positions at Broadcom, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs and Connectivity Lab, Facebook.

 

Jonas Sedin

Bio: Jonas Sedin is a researcher at Ericsson Research in Kista, Stockholm, working on protocol aspects as well as system level evaluations in a wide range of topics within future wireless communications including 5G NR Non-terrestrial Networks and next generation Wi-Fi standards. He is involved in standardization as an 802.11 IEEE member as well as a RAN2 delegate in 3GPP. He has a master’s and bachelor’s degree from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

 

Sebastian Euler

Bio: Sebastian Euler is a Senior Researcher at Ericsson Research in Stockholm, Sweden. He joined Ericsson in 2016 and has since focused on the standardization of Non-Terrestrial Networks in 3GPP, extending the LTE and 5G New Radio standards with support for satellite networks and aerial vehicles. In 2021, he received the IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize. He has a background in particle physics, and received his Ph.D. from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, in 2014.