5G METEORS

Status

Ongoing
Status date

2019-05-09
Activity Code

3A.096

Objectives

5G METEORS supports the dynamic investigation and prototyping in the 5G satellite convergence as currently studied in 3GPP RAN and SA. The objective is to respond in an agile manner to technology developments driven by the market and the standardization work in 3GPP to support the integration of satellites in 5G for direct access (3GPP RAN) and backhaul (3GPP SA). Individual activities are to be selected and executed through competitive open calls. The open calls are expected to mobilize implementers, experts and stakeholders beyond the usual stakeholder community ESA is doing business with.

Challenges

5G METEORS addresses a broad range of challenges in the 5G and satellite convergence and integration domain. The challenges also vary by nature and range from feasibility analysis and studies to actual prototyping and concept validation.

Benefits

5G METEORS is expected to mobilise expertise, knowledge and know-how developed and accumulated by various players in Germany in the 5G and satellite communication domains. A considerable cross fertilisation of the two historically separate community and concepts, terrestrial and satellite is expected from the activity. Furthermore, the activity is reaching out and mobilising small stakeholders beyond those that ESA is usually doing business with.

Features

5G METEORS collects ideas and publishes competitive open calls for projects, providing opportunities for target stakeholders to address specific technical, design and development challenges in the 5G and satellites convergence domain.

System Architecture

5G METEORS addresses various technical challenges in the 5G and satellites convergence domain through competitive open calls.

The system architectures as described in various 3GPP documents for non-terrestrial-networks (NTN) are serving as a baseline.

Background information on various 5G architectures and the needs of different verticals can be found in the 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership website at https://5g-ppp.eu/white-papers/.

Plan

5G METEORS uses competitive open calls over a 24 months period to award target stakeholders to investigate specific technical challenges and implement solutions and prototypes for them. Such ‘MakerSpace’ activities will be 100% funded, with typical values of between € 5,000 and € 60,000 per activity.

Current status

The project was kicked-off in March 2019 and is currently finalising its open call framework and preparing to launch the first round of open calls in May 2019.