Next-generation wireless infrastructure will leverage millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum to enable the large data rates necessary to meet 5G’s key performance indicators (KPI). Not only is this spectrum leveraged for the terrestrial network, but also in space by utilizing current (and future) satellite installations in the Ka-band (and beyond) to supplement 5G.
Set for delivery in 2021, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) Release 17 will introduce several use cases for the 5G satellite network that include the various satellite technologies available with geostationary-orbiting (GEO), medium-earth-orbiting (MEO), and newer low-earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites. The satellite-communications (SATCOM) industry is already putting vast amounts of R&D into developing seamless integration of 5G platforms with network virtualization; this integration affects the entire satellite infrastructure from the ground segment to the space segment.