5G DISTRIBUTED UNIT PROCESSOR AND ASSOCIATED NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORK G-NODEB SOFTWARE (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 5A.099) - EXPRO+

Objective: The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture, and test a processor breadboard and associated software implementing a distributed unit (DU) onboard a satellite. TheDU will implement Radio Link Control (RLC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) functions, optimized for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), to address processing, memory andpower constraints, as well as service needs in terms of cells and user numbers The feasibility and implementation of control unit (CU) functions on the 5G g-NodeB (gNB)should be addressed by the activity depending on the selected 5G system split and targeted system capacityTargetedImprovements: - Increase the DU throughput by a factor of 10 with respect to currently existing terrestrial network solutions (TN) implemented on space representative hardware.- Increase by a factor of 10 the number of cells handled by the DU, with respect to existing TN solutions.Description: Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) require optimized handling of link-layer functions to mitigate the effects of long propagation delays, fluctuating signal conditions, and limitedbandwidth. Conventional NTNs rely on extensive ground infrastructure to manage link-layer functions such as scheduling, retransmission control, and resource allocation.Implementing full CU/DU on-board with high throughput is currently unfeasible due to the high system bandwidth to route and the limited processing power available.This activity shall develop a high-throughput (target 100 Gbps) satellite router breadboard, integrating an onboard CU/DU implemented on a radiation-tolerant multi-coreprocessor.This activity will design, manufacture, and test a processor breadboard and associated software implementing a distributed unit (DU) onboard a satellite.The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer will provide:1. Segmentation and reassembly optimized for dynamic satellite link conditions.2. Retransmission control managed onboard to reduce latency and dependency on ground stations.The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer will handle:1. Onboard scheduling and resource allocation to optimize time-frequency resource use.2. Adaptive HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) to balance error correction and latency.3. Inter-beam coordination to optimize multi-beam traffic distribution. The CU shall perform real-time processing, ensuring efficient and reliable network operation withoutexcessive feeder link traffic. Engineering tasks include system architecture definition, hardware / software integration, and performance validation through breadboardtesting in a representative NTN environment.Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_Enterprises/Opportunities_for_SMEs/Procurement_policy_on_fair_access_for_SMEs_-_the_C1-C4_Clauses