The HELENA project – when the sky is no longer the limit for 5G
June 1, 2023
The HELENA project promotes the development of enhancements to the NTN standard. Magister contributes to the project by improving the mobility of the 5G satellite network, investigating new use cases, and planning for Release 19.
The terrestrial 5G networks have been developed on the basis of global standards. On the other hand, satellite networks have been created based on proprietary access technology. The definition of the 3GPP 5G NTN standard constitutes the first technology framework capable of supporting both terrestrial and satellite network deployment scenarios.
The HELENA project promotes the development of enhancements to the NTN standard. The goal is to improve the service experience, address new bands, and support new use cases. The project was launched in February 2023 and will run for two years – until 2025.
HELENA is a project funded by the European Space Agency. It’s led by Nicolas Chuberre from Thales Alenia Space France.
Magister Solutions is working on this project together with Thales Alenia Space France, Novamint, Fraunhofer IIS, TNO, CNIT, Airbus, and Eutelsat.
Magister has several areas of responsibility in the HELENA project
Magister’s role in the HELENA project is mainly related to the following three tasks:
- Release 18 enhancements: How can the network performance be improved and new use cases generated? One goal is to improve the mobility of the 5G satellite network.
- Enabling new use cases: New use cases requiring higher frequencies are being investigated. Terminal devices would no longer be mobile devices, but, for example, VSATs or ESIMs mounted on ships, cars or airplanes.
- Planning for Release 19: In late spring and summer 2023, we discussed and planned the contents of the next release and contributed it to the 3GPP.
Making NTN solutions more performant through HELENA
ESA projects of the past couple of years have set the basis for this project. Magister has also participated in these projects. In practice, HELENA is a continuation of the ALIX project, which promoted the standardization of the Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN).
While ALIX focused on Release 17 implementation and Release 18 planning, HELENA concentrates on Release 18 implementation and Release 19 planning.
HELENA is, however, a separate project that was selected through an ESA competitive tender. Through this world-class project, Magister now has a remarkable opportunity to make an impact.
“It’s great to be part of a project like this: to influence the definitions of future standardized technologies. In the global context, we are a small company, but in this project, our impact can be significant”, stated Magister’s former CEO, Jani Puttonen.
Unlike most of Magister’s projects, HELENA is not a simulator development project. Instead, it focuses completely on 3GPP standardization. The main objectives of the HELENA project are:
- to continue supporting the standardization effort of NTN within the 3GPP
- to capitalize on the investments made to date and secure the native integration of SatCom within the next generation of mobile networks
- to encompass the support to the NTN-related work items recently agreed for Release 18, as well as the preparation of NTN-related items for Release 19 and beyond.
Overall, the HELENA project aims to make NTN solutions more performant and enable new use cases.
Laying the foundation for future NTN solutions
What makes the HELENA project especially remarkable is how it combines the forces of various satellite industry players. The satellite industry is quite a small sector within the 3GPP. However, through a project like this, industry players can connect and make an impact.
Eight different players from the satellite industry participate in the HELENA project. The project also maintains and nourishes the Satellite Standardization Interest Group (SSIG). SSIG is a community that consists of dozens of satellite industry actors whose goal is to influence the NTN standardization in 3GPP.
What can be achieved by promoting the standardization of NTN?
- New end users can be reached with satellite systems using NTN technology. Technology can enable, for example, automatic communication with cars, ships, or air traffic. There may also be NTN use cases on IoT technology.
- With higher frequencies, larger frequency bands become available, and we can send larger amounts of data. This also increases the number of use cases.
- NTN brings better opportunities for implementing more reliable emergency services. Emergency calls and text messages using NTN can be introduced globally. For example, the governmental and emergency services will benefit from this technology.
- Standardization fosters a development of an ecosystem in which products and services can be developed and brought to the market more quickly. It also encourages the involvement of many manufacturers, leading to healthy competition. This, in turn, leads to lower prices for end users.
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