The 6G-NTN consortium is a European research collaboration tasked with defining how non terrestrial network assets, including satellites and high altitude platforms, can be natively integrated into the 6G ecosystem. Partners across mobile communications, the satellite sector and research organisations are working to produce a 3D, multi layered network architecture that supports handheld devices, drones, vehicle mounted equipment and fixed ground stations. The project combines system level studies with hardware and waveform experiments to create practical building blocks for resilient, energy aware and globally accessible 6G services.
From the beginning, the project has used representative use cases to shape requirements. Scenarios such as maritime search and rescue, autonomous drone inspection, urban air mobility, public protection and disaster relief were chosen to stress different parts of the stack and to validate terminal classes that include handheld, drone and mounted equipment. Those use cases have guided trade off decisions and the choice of testbeds and prototypes reported in the consortium materials.
The initial outcomes cover architecture, radio and payload engineering, waveform evaluation, AI driven orchestration, sustainability metrics and regulatory analysis. A central architectural proposal is a 3D multi layered topology that combines high altitude platforms as flexible local nodes, one or more LEO layers for capacity and coverage, and a GEO overlay to provide continuity where required. The project examined both homogeneous LEO constellations and distributed architectures that separate role profiles into service satellites optimised for the user link and feeder satellites hosting heavier RAN or core functions. Link budget studies including RF and optical inter node links informed these trade offs and the recommendations for adaptive functional splits between space and ground.
On hardware and terminals, preliminary payload concepts and compact antenna designs were developed for operation in C and Q/V bands. LEO sizing studies indicate feasibility for direct to smartphone operation in C band while Q/V band links are being assessed for vehicular and mounted platforms. One tangible deliverable is a Q/V band antenna prototype aimed at vehicle mounted terminals, which helps bridge theoretical capability and manufacturability constraints for realistic form factors.
Waveform and air interface work produced a focused list of candidate approaches for a natively converged terrestrial and non terrestrial air interface. Options under analysis include CP-OFDM, WOLA-OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM, F-OFDM, BF-OFDM, UFMC and OTFS. The evaluations consider how each candidate performs under the Doppler, delay spread and mobility conditions typical of multi orbit deployments, and how complexity and processing location affect low cost terminal design and hybrid service models. These early comparisons are already shaping guidance on where processing should sit and which adaptive splits are most appropriate for different use cases.
Sustainability has been an explicit axis through the project. Reference traffic scenarios and initial sustainability metrics were defined to quantify energy efficiency and wider lifecycle footprint. These metrics are being applied to compare architectural alternatives and to guide decisions such as payload consolidation, power allocation and in orbit functional splits that lower overall environmental impact. Treating sustainability as a measurable design criterion helps ensure technical proposals are also environmentally justified.
Intelligence and orchestration are addressed by an AI enabled RAN Intelligent Controller and an AI driven VNF orchestrator together with a network forecasting platform. These components are designed to support dynamic resource allocation across terrestrial and non terrestrial segments and to predict virtualised resource demand across multi orbit topologies. The design allows AI agents to operate on ground, on board or in hybrid configurations depending on latency and operational constraints, which will need targeted validation in representative traffic and mobility scenarios.
Regulatory and coexistence studies form a practical pillar of the results. The consortium analysed current rules and protection requirements for C and Q/V band usage, identified potential allocation and coexistence issues with terrestrial services, and proposed preliminary interference mitigation techniques. Those regulatory insights are intended to feed standardisation activity and to support harmonised operations across regions.
Looking ahead, the emphasis is on integration, validation and readiness for standardisation and trials. The project materials provide multi orbit sizing models, candidate terminal designs, coexistence scenarios and a ranked set of air interface options that can be taken into testbeds and demonstrations. With the work now moving from study to system integration, the consortium is concentrating on refinement of priority prototypes, realistic multi orbit testing of candidate waveforms and payloads, and focused standardisation inputs that reflect the most practically promising solutions.
For engineers and researchers, the immediate value lies in concrete data and models that can be reused: sizing studies, terminal form factor constraints, regulatory assessments and a short list of air interface candidates. Taken together, these deliverables make a strong technical case that native NTN integration into the 6G stack is feasible across a broad set of use cases, while highlighting the integration and validation work needed to move from proof of concept to deployable systems.
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