VISION AND OBJECTIVES

DYNASAT aims to:

1

Evaluate the performance gain of the use of bandwidth-efficient transmission techniques in an NGSO-based 5G satellite access system providing eMBB services to mass-market 5G devices (e.g. smartphones).

2

Evaluate the performance gain of using the cellular/satellite spectrum sharing techniques enabling the operation of an NGSO-based 5G satellite access system concurrently with a cellular system in the same frequency band.

3

Assess the implementation feasibility of bandwidth-efficient transmission techniques and spectrum sharing techniques for efficient spectrum usage in a practical system.

4

Demonstrate the isolated operation of spectrum sharing techniques on a DSA software system and bandwidth-efficient transmission techniques on a portable RAN lab software demonstration platform at MWC 2022.

5

Define and plan an in-orbit demonstration of the developed bandwidth-efficient and spectrum sharing techniques.

6

Demonstrate the integrated operation of bandwidth-efficient transmission techniques and spectrum sharing techniques for efficient spectrum usage with a portable RAN lab software demonstration platform at MWC 2023.

7

Promote future work on multi-satellite cooperative multi-user MIMO and spectrum sharing techniques within the 3GPP community and get the 3GPP non-terrestrial networks Release 18 work item approved at the TSG-RAN plenary.

8

Prepare/submit contributions about multi-satellite cooperative multi-user MIMO and satellite/terrestrial Dynamic Spectrum Sharing techniques to 3GPP RAN working groups for NTN evolution in preparation of Rel-19 and beyond, supported by simulation results.

9

Promote the evolution of the telecommunication regulatory framework needed to support spectrum sharing between satellite and mobile services in targeted bands that could be allocated to satellite and/or mobile services.

THE INNOVATION POTENTIAL

The innovation potential of DYNASAT takes place at 4 different levels:

BUSINESS

Enabling 5G satellite access to offer affordable service (cost per GB) to most users will open a new market to the space industry.

SERVICE

Increasing the service performance in terms of greater sustainable data rate and reduced latency will enable the offering of higher QoS to targeted 5G end users.

ECOSYSTEM

Spinning in cellular technologies in 5G satellite access will encourage technology vendors to invest in customized products for the space industry and fuel a new cycle of innovation in SatCom.

STANDARDISATION

Supporting standardization of NTN and DYNASAT outcomes in 3GPP will provide a harmonized solution based on 5G and 5G-Advanced New Radio.

Innovation will also be evident in the development cycle of a new satellite network concept. Leveraging on real-time simulation tools proving the concept, the project will prepare a plan for an in-orbit demonstration in a similar fast track mode as China-based (e.g., GalaxySpace) and USA-based startups (e.g., Starlink) without having to go through the prior development of products.

ANTICIPATED IMPACT

  1. Enhanced life cycle cost reduction (including manufacturing and operations) and increased performance, resulting in greater competitiveness of the European space manufacturing and service industry in the rapidly evolving field of satellite communication.
    DYNASAT’s vision is to establish a global approach for satellite communications that will contribute to the standardization of the satellites and payloads in the different SatCom market segments (broadcast, broadband VSAT, and direct access) and allow for a reduction in the lead time between procurement and launch of satellites thanks to the possibility to use mass-market equipment.
  2. Development of European research and technology ecosystems consisting of different parties involved in satellite communications, i.e., manufacturers of user equipment, ground segment technologies, service providers and operators, validation and simulation tool developers, and end users.
    DYNASAT gathers researchers, industry representatives, and SME stakeholders from the mobile and satellite network ecosystem with demonstrated capabilities of simulation and validation tools, which are used by the mobile network industry when promoting 5G to ITU-R under the supervision of the mobile and satellite network operators. The consortium is aligned on an objective to create a European ecosystem that will contribute to the development of the disruptive satellite access network infrastructure beyond DYNASAT’s duration.
  3. Greater integration of satellite communications into 5G.
    DYNASAT will investigate how techniques initially deployed for cellular networks can be applied to satellite networks to boost their performance. The project will contribute to economically viable satellite access, which is fully integrated into the 5G network, and provide seamless service continuity to the mass-market and professional 5G devices. DYNASAT will also contribute to the integration of the satellite component in 5G at the spectrum level.
  4. Greater industrial relevance of research actions and output as demonstrated by deeper involvement of industry, including SMEs, and stronger take-up of research results.
    DYNASAT will contribute to the creation of a new market for the space industry in the area of direct access to the mass-market 5G devices. Such a market will require deployments of a few thousand satellites in low Earth orbits and a new approach to the industrialization of satellites. As part of the project, actions will be taken to define the industrial plan including the European industrial team (with vendors, SMEs) in charge of the development and deployment of this disruptive infrastructure. The plan for the first step is to prepare the launch of prototype satellites for a large-scale Proof of Concept.