Satellite integration into 5G: Accent on testbed implementation and demonstration results for 5G Aero platform backhauling use case

摘要

The first true multitechnology communication system is 5G, which is expected to have a large impact on society and industry. The European Commission funded H2020 5G-PPP Phase 2 project SaT5G addressed the plug-and-play integration of satellite communication into 5G. One of the SaT5G use cases corresponds to the delivery of 5G connectivity services to moving platforms such as aircraft via GEO/MEO satellite backhauling. With focus on this use case, this paper elaborates on the practical implementation and measurement results obtained within the 5G Aero testbed developed as part of the SaT5G project. The 5G Aero testbed activities focus on the next generation of connectivity and content distribution services to airplanes through satellite and terrestrial integration in 5G at the user, control and management planes. Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) are key enablers to develop a powerful end-to-end testbed that can accelerate the adoption of multi-access edge computing (MEC) for the next-generation in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) services, which use geostationary (GEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite backhauling technologies. Hence, measurement results obtained from both over-the-air demonstration over the O3b MEO satellite constellation and in-lab validation over an emulated GEO satellite link are presented, towards the next-generation 5G-enabled IFEC services.