Celeste Completes 5G NR-NTN Interoperability Tests with Sateliot

Celeste Technologies has completed a 5G NR-NTN interoperability test campaign with Sateliot’s direct-to-device (D2D) payload, validating end-to-end satellite connectivity using 3GPP Release 17 standards.

The tests, carried out at Qualcomm Technologies’ labs in Lannion, France, verified interoperability between Celeste’s software-based SmartgNB and a Qualcomm NTN-capable mobile test device. Using satellite channel emulation, the campaign covered both GEO and LEO scenarios including transparent and regenerative payload architectures, and successfully demonstrated end-to-end traffic and full protocol stack operation.

A key result was the performance of Celeste’s fully softwarized SmartgNB, which runs without hardware accelerators, confirming its suitability for regenerative satellite payloads and future multi-operator LEO constellations.

The work supports Sateliot’s broader plan to deploy a sovereign European LEO constellation delivering 5G NR-NTN services in S-band, complementing its NB-IoT NTN network and targeting IoT, automotive, civil security, and defense applications. The partners said the milestone highlights growing maturity of standards-based direct-to-device satellite ecosystems in Europe.

SOURCE: Sateliot