As terrestrial 5G mobile networks are being rolled out across countries, there is a renewed interest in integrating Non-Terrestrial Networks, the primary one being the low latency Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks (SatNets), as a complement to terrestrial networks. Towards this, Starlink, operated by the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, and OneWeb, promoted by Bharti Global, have launched about 2,500 and 648 LEO satellites respectively at an altitude of about 1,200 km with the objective of promoting global broadband connectivity. There are other players such as Reliance Jio in a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
There are primarily three main use cases for integrating LEO SatNets with terrestrial 5G networks: (i) service continuity to provide seamless transition between terrestrial networks and SatNets in case of public safety, disaster management and emergency situations; (ii) service ubiquity to provide 5G services in unserved and underserved areas of the world, thereby bridging the digital divide; (iii) service scalability that utilises the unique capabilities of SatNets in multicasting and broadcasting similar content over a large geographical area. The LEO SatNets can provide service not only to stationary but also to in-motion users.
