MediaTek and its partners join hands with the European Space Agency to complete 5G-Advanced satellite broadband Internet access using low-orbit satellites

MediaTek, a major IC design company, announced that it has successfully cooperated with the European Space Agency (European Space Agency), Eutelsat, Airbus Defense and Space, SHARP, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Rohde Schwarz to use Eutelsat's OneWeb low-orbit satellite to complete the world's first 5G-Advanced satellite broadband real-network connection that complies with the 3GPP R19 specification.

MediaTek pointed out that this will lay an important foundation for the commercial deployment of 5G-Advanced NR NTN (non-terrestrial network) technology. Through globally unified NTN technical standards, it will not only expand the commonality of the satellite and mobile communications industry ecosystem to reduce the cost structure, but also further promote the popularization and application of global NTN satellite broadband devices.

MediaTek stated that this test used OneWeb low-orbit satellites to communicate with MediaTek NR NTN chipset and ITRI NR NTN base station (gNB) to implement new functions defined by the 3GPP R19 specification including Ku band, 50MHz bandwidth, conditional handover (CHO) and other new functions. The OneWeb low-orbit satellite built by Airbus is equipped with a transparent transponder that can access the Ku-band service link (service link) and Ka-band feeder link (Ka-band feeder link), and adopts Earth-moving beams. During the actual network test, the NTN terminal device equipped with the flat panel antenna developed by SHARP successfully connected to the terrestrial 5G core network through the gateway antenna of the European Space Agency's European Space Research and Technology Center in the Netherlands.

With the full integration of the 3GPP standard and widespread adoption by the entire mobile communications industry, all compatible satellite constellations will be able to naturally and seamlessly complement the needs of terrestrial networks, achieve truly ubiquitous communications connections that bring economies of scale, and open up new markets for smartphones, vehicles, and the Internet of Things.

Fan Mingxi, senior general manager of MediaTek's wireless communications technology group, said that as a leader in terrestrial and non-terrestrial communications, MediaTek continues to connect the world with technology and is committed to improving people's lives, whether in areas with limited or even lack of mobile network coverage. This time we work together with ecosystem partners to successfully achieve real-world connection with Eutelsat low-orbit satellites, taking us another step towards the commercialization of next-generation NR NTN satellite broadband communications based on 3GPP.