Belgium Launches 5/6G NTN Hub for Satellite-Terrestrial Testing

Belgium has launched its first permanent testing and incubation environment for converged 5G satellite and terrestrial communications, supported by the European Space Agency and funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office.

The 5/6G NTN Hub Belgium was officially launched at a kick-off event in Antwerp and is hosted at The Beacon, the innovation centre of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The initiative is designed to give technology providers, researchers and end users an open environment to develop, test and validate applications using integrated satellite and 5G networks.

The hub is being developed by a consortium led by nxgsat, bringing together imec, the University of Antwerp, Firecell, neXat, Orange Belgium and SEAFAR. ESA is providing technical oversight for the activity.

The facility includes an NTN laboratory, terrestrial network lab, demonstration capabilities and teleport hosting infrastructure. These assets will support practical testing of satellite-terrestrial use cases, including maritime operations, emergency communications and other scenarios where terrestrial networks alone may not provide sufficient coverage or resilience.

The project reflects growing European momentum around non-terrestrial network development as 5G evolves toward 5G Advanced and 6G. By creating a shared environment for experimentation and incubation, the hub aims to accelerate validation and commercialisation of integrated NTN services.

For Belgium, the initiative creates a national focal point for satellite-terrestrial innovation, while contributing to wider European efforts to build sovereign capability and industrial expertise in next-generation connectivity.