IEEE Access (Jan 2020)

Non-Terrestrial Networks in 5G & Beyond: A Survey

  • Federica Rinaldi,
  • Helka-Liina Maattanen,
  • Johan Torsner,
  • Sara Pizzi,
  • Sergey Andreev,
  • Antonio Iera,
  • Yevgeni Koucheryavy,
  • Giuseppe Araniti

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3022981
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8
pp. 165178 – 165200

Abstract

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Fifth-generation (5G) telecommunication systems are expected to meet the world market demands of accessing and delivering services anywhere and anytime. The Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) systems are able to satisfy the requests of anywhere and anytime connections by offering wide-area coverage and ensuring service availability, continuity, and scalability. In this work, we review the 3GPP NTN features and their potential for satisfying the user expectations in 5G & beyond networks. The state of the art, current 3GPP research activities, and open issues are summarized to highlight the importance of NTN over the wireless communication landscape. Future research directions are also identified to assess the role of NTN in 5G and beyond systems.

Keywords