PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The objective of the NTN-CPD project is to define the control plane of the 5G New Radio standard for NTN networks and demonstrate its performance in a a software demonstrator.
To be more specific, the project aims to fulfil the following objectives:
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Define a reference NTN architecture based on Non-Geo Stationary Orbits (NGSO).
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Review of the 5G NR control plane procedures and signaling.
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Identify possible strategies for satellite networks to implement a control plane as close as possible to the current 3GPP 5G specifications.
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Identify required modifications to the current 3GPP specifications for having an efficient control plane fit to be deployed on Non-Terrestrial Networks.
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Demonstrate such architectures and control plane design in a software demonstrator (e.g., network simulator).
Challenges
The key challenges in the project are to:
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Implement a simulation tool, where the NR control plane is simulated with sufficient level of detail across a variety of different simulation scenarios.
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Implement the simulation tool with a high-level of performance, such that it can be used to effectively simulate and demonstrate complex NGSO scenarios.
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Create a reference NGSO satellite system architecture that can be used to evaluate the NR control plane in NGSO environments and identify possible improvements to the 3GPP specifications.
System Architecture
The developed Nova simulation tool targets to enable the evaluation of the control plane of different NGSO satellite constellations, supporting 3GPP specified NTN system architectures, with support for both transparent and regenerative satellite systems. Satellite constellations within one type of orbit are the focus of the simulator, with multi-orbit constellations being supported with no cross-orbit communication. The architecture supports simple Inter-satellite Links (ISLs) and functional splitting of the gNB in regenerative satellite systems. The system architecture reflects the project objectives, with greater focus placed on the control plane rather than the user plane. The architecture focuses on the radio access network, while the core network and backhaul connections are largely simplified. The simulator is designed to accurately simulate subsets of the whole constellation, where the subset of satellites can be dynamically selected, based on the area of interest.
Plan
The project started in May 2024 and with 21 months duration is scheduled to end in January 2026. The work has been divided into the following work packages:
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WP1.0: System Scenarios
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WP2.0: Technical Specification
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WP3.0: Technical Baseline
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WP4.0: Demonstrator Design
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WP5.0: Demonstrator Implementation
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WP6.0: Technology Assessment and Development Plan
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WP7.0: Project Management
Current Status
The project started officially on 18.4.2024 and an official KO meeting was held on 23.4.2024. System Requirements Review milestone achieved on 11.9.2024.
