KT SAT and SKY Perfect JSAT Partner on GEO-Based 5G NTN
Korea’s KT SAT and Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT have signed an MoU to jointly develop and validate GEO-based 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technologies, marking one of the first cross-national collaborations in Asia focused on next-generation satellite-5G integration.
The partnership will advance testing and R&D for Ka- and Ku-band GEO NTN systems, including reference architectures for 3GPP-compliant gNB/5GC (ground) and user equipment (UE). Both companies will use shared 5G NTN testbeds and SKY Perfect JSAT’s Universal NTN Innovation Lab to evaluate system performance under real satellite conditions.
The agreement also sets the stage for interoperability and roaming between the two operators’ GEO networks, a key step toward a Global NTN Alliance that could align standards and scale the emerging 5G satellite ecosystem.
The initiative will be formally announced at 6G Mobile Korea 2025 on October 30, underscoring the growing regional drive to commercialize 5G NTN services ahead of 6G.