3GPP activities on 5G satellite integration

Mobile telecommunication standardisation organisation 3GPP has recently completed specification of the first version of the 5G system. Next to more bandwidth and capacity, 5G will also support business applications. As part of a second phase of 5G, 3GPP is now also specifying the integration of satellite communications in 5G. The 3GPP SA1 service specification group has completed service requirements for 5G satellite access. 3GPP working group RAN3 is studying radio access network architecture and protocols to support 3GPP defined satellite access. The 3GPP SA2 architecture working group is studying core network key issues and solutions for these key issues. This paper gives an overview of these activities. More work will be needed on radio physical layer and link layer adaptations to cope with the specific nature of the satellite radio link. Copyright © 2018 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.