ESA, MediaTek, Eutelsat & Partners Make First 5G-Advanced NTN Call on OneWeb Satellites
A consortium led by the European Space Agency (ESA), MediaTek, Eutelsat, Airbus, Sharp, ITRI, and Rohde & Schwarz has successfully demonstrated the world’s first 5G-Advanced (Rel-19) New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN) connection using the OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, a milestone in the evolution of integrated satellite and terrestrial 5G networks.
The trial, conducted at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, validated 50 MHz Ku-band NR-NTN configurations with conditional handover (CHO) between OneWeb LEO satellites. Using MediaTek’s NR NTN chipset, ITRI’s 5G gNB, and a flat-panel terminal developed by Sharp, the test confirmed reliable broadband connectivity through an Airbus-built OneWeb satellite linked to a 5G core on the ground.