DYNAMICALLY ADAPTIVE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURAL MODEL FOR CONNECTIVITY GAP AREAS IN 4G AND 5G TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3F.048) - EXPRO+

The objective of this activity is to design, implement and evaluate different types of satellite system architectural models aimed at dynamically focusing available resources on coverage gaps in terrestrial 4G and 5G networks.Targeted Improvements:Achieving national regulator coverage and service objectives for direct-to-device services and enabling twice as efficient satellite resourcespooling over the service area.Description: Today there are coverage gaps of the terrestrial telecommunication system despite initiatives from non-European industries to provide supplementary coverage from space. Concentrating satellite connectivity exclusively on coverage gap areas (including low service areas) rather than aiming for satellite connectivity over a broad coverage has the potential to maximize the efficiency of the satellite system. It could offer an increased throughput which translates in reduced deployment costs per bit and higher quality of service for end users. Moreover, this approach could enable flexible resources allocation based on the population density as well as step up and step down of terrestrial connectivity services.This activity will design,implement and evaluate satellite system architectural models addressing non-uniform spatiotemporal traffic patterns in particular of handheld services. First, the activity will develop a high-resolution spatiotemporal traffic model, which shall consider available datasets and trend analyses of service requirements of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and their representative organisations, along with actual and target service coverage obligation set by National Regulation Administrations (NRAs) for terrestrial network gaps. The outputs of this model will be used to define coverage gaps from existing and planned terrestrial networks and space networks. The activity will then study and implement in a software prototype Distributed Satellite System (DSS) concepts for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) considering different orbits, multi-connectivity techniques (e.g. beam overlapping, coordinated multi-point etc) and infrastructure configurations (e.g. fractionated, swarm and federated concepts). System sizing optimizing the satellite resources will be carried out of at least 3 selected DSS concepts and the performance will be evaluated by simulation. The activity shall identify the most promising DSS concept and development roadmap considering complexity and system performance and the ability to accommodateopportunities beyond direct to device services. Procurement Policy: Open Competitive Tender Type: CFor 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