NC Nov-Dec 2023

OPINION: NTNs
capability - for example, enabling a
lost hiker on a remote mountain
range to summon help via their
smartphone. NTNs will make this
pervasive and eliminate the connectivity
challenges we associate with
sailing, camping, mountain climbing
and other activities in isolated areas.
This will also have significant implications
for aerospace and defence,
and other sectors operating in geographically
remote regions.
Remote pipeline monitoring: With
speeds of up to 20 Gbps, 5G NTN's
high-speed data transfer capabilities
are a significant benefit for applications
that rely on real-time data processing-for
example, remote monitoring,
surveillance, and autonomous
vehicles (AVs.) In the latter industry,
NTNs can augment terrestrial networks
and ensure vehicle safety in
the event of congestion or outages,
and in areas with poor connectivity.
In addition, offshore oil platforms
and other enterprises operating in
remote regions without terrestrial
infrastructure will be able to monitor
operations and equipment more
closely as the technology matures.
Image intelligence: The Ukraine war
provides an excellent example of this
insight, as satellite images were the
first to show the military vehicles
Russia amassed in advance of its
attack. This intelligence will become
a key weapon in future military conflicts,
as well as tracking global
warming, pandemics and other
macro events.
ROADBLOCKS TO INNOVATION
As with any new technology, before
realising these and other 5G NTN
possibilities, the industry must first
overcome numerous challenges. These
include design considerations:
The link distances are much longer
with NTNs than with terrestrial
networks, and the resulting
implications must be accounted for
in the design process to avoid
issues. Introducing a fast memory in
which the signal is written and then
read out with a different speed is
one important step. This addresses
both the propagation delay and
high Doppler frequency associated
with NTNs.
Where and how to process data is
another concern.
In most cases, this will be determined
by the individual use case and end
goal. For industries such as the
military, it may be better to design a
satellite with a big computer, long
battery life and a large solar array to
facilitate edge computing of the
data via the satellite. This would
enable divisions to spot
changes in civilian
movement or armament
formation that could
signal a hostile advance,
as in the Ukraine
example discussed
above. In other
scenarios, it might be
better to send data to the
ground for processing,
which entails having the
bandwidth necessary to
facilitate the transmission.
Finally, NTNs have the potential to
replace the legacy proprietary
network and operator systems with
total interoperability and universal
service. Actualising this vision requires
that network operators and satellite
providers collaborate share knowledge,
and come up with new ways to bring
services to the end users.
Much work remains before NTNs can
fully deliver on their promise, but the
future is closer than many might think.
As we move towards making seamless
global connectivity a reality, savvy
companies should be preparing to
capitalise on NTNs and all the
possibilities inherent in a truly
connected world. NC
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