Telecom
What Makes Satellite Communications an Essential Part of 5G Infrastructure
By Andrew Aroh
- 5G is a technology that will push the boundaries of throughput and capacity further beyond that of 4G to enable newer types of applications and services in the domains of: Health, Transport (Land, Air and Sea), Entertainment, M2M, Security, etc.
- 5G will lead to a huge shift towards a landscape dominated by wireless connectivity.
- 5G is accompanied with deployment of Architectures (Fiber +Terrestrials wireless + Satellite leveraging Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) both at the core and edge of the Network. They will provide: increased computing power, scalability, reduced operating costs and business models to enable differentiation
- 5G will enable instantaneous connectivity to billions of devices, the Internet-of-things (IoTs) and a truly connected world: smart cities, smart homes and smart schools, etc.
- The satellite transport conduit will be integrated into the overall available communication map
- Service providers will need to provide seamless connectivity between terrestrial and satellite
- Traffic will be dynamically steered to the best transport options available (terrestrial/Satellite according to bandwidth, latency, network conditions and other application-specific requirements)
- The interworking between terrestrial and satellite is now well recognized and promoted in the 3GPP standards.
- Management of the NFV infrastructure will be performed through a management and orchestrator (MANO) Framework
- This architecture allows easy integration of multiple applications
- A virtual evolved packet core (vEPC) application would extend local call switching possibility.
A Mobile (Multi access) edge computing (MEC) platform could host different application like caching and multicast which can help reduce latency and improve qualify of experience (QoE) for the user.
- Full integration within the virtualized architecture will apply to satellite as well, beginning with the network core and then expanding to the edge.
- Satellite optimized Quality of service (QoS) and Operational Expense (OPEX) advantage will also remain key as the landscape becomes even more competitive.
- New opportunities for extending satellites services in urban and rural areas will emerge for:
- Covering white zones and ensuring a seamless connectivity plan
- Emergency services
- Broadcast/multicast and network offload schemes
- Aero and Maritime mobility
- Connected cars (software download)
- Mobile backhaul
- Newer low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellations will further expand the reach of satellite communications
- Oneweb has launched its first batch of satellites that will provide internet access (using mobile/multiple access) Edge computing (MEC) platform to rural regions around the world.
- Oneweb plan is to build a large network of satellites that will be hung in low earth orbit and beam down broadband internet to underserved areas. The company planned to put up 650 satellites by 2020, with a plan to expand to 900 as it expands its coverage. The network will be built over the course of 21 launches to deploy the satellites
- Space-X is also building a global, broadband LEO constellation of satellites to provide broadband internet access, Interactive multimedia and high-quality voice, operating in the high Frequency ka-band of the radio spectrum.
- Boeing is set to create a new Non-Geosynchronous (NGSO) Satellite constellation for broadband services using V-band for low-latency, very high data rate broadband across the United Stats and the world.
Between rising commercial demand and government-driven universal broadband service obligations, the company expects satellite could play a major role.
- It really comes down to the insatiable demand for bandwidth that we are seeing in the market place. The amount of bits being required by all of us is growing on the order of 20 something percent a year, and in order to meet that demand there are certain areas where satellite has advantages over terrestrial approaches. Customers lack choice in the broadband provider options, especially in rural areas, meaning there is room for more satellite broadband players to compete.
- In the spectrum front, the constellation could downlink information in the 37.5 to 40.0 GHz band on a shared access basis with the proposed Upper Microwave Flexible Use (UMFU) Service.
THE HIGH FREQUENCIES OF THE EM SPECTRUM
| DESCRIPTION | FREQUENCY | WAVELENGTH |
| HF | 3-30MHz | 100-10m |
| VHF | 50-100MHz | 6-3m |
| UHF | 400-1000MHz | 75-30cm |
| Microwave | 3×109 – 1011Hz | 10cm-3mm |
| Millimeter waves | 1011-1012Hz | 3mm-0.3mm |
| Infra-red | 1012-6×1014Hz | 0.3m-0.5um |
| Light | 6×1014-8×1014Hz | 0.5um-0.4um |
| Ultraviolet | 8×1014-1017Hz | 0.4um-10-9m |
| X-Rays | 1017-1019Hz | 10-9m-10-13m |
| Gamman Rays | >1019Hz | >10-13m |
Increased spectrum for 5G will provide:
- Continuous connection
- Greater capacity
- More data
- More users
- Faster speeds
- Faster Response Time (Lower-Latency) for connections
- The increased spectrum in the mmW band will provide localized coverage as they only operate overshot distances
- Future 5G deployments may use mmW frequencies in bands up to 86GHz
- On the technology side, Boeing would want to taking its digital pay load technology from it GEO System and putting it into a Small Satellite Form Factor (SSFF). This is because there is a definite advantage in applying them to V-band NGSO System. The digital payload is SCALABLE and can be sized up or down as needed
- The new trend is to shorten development cycles of satellites and make sure the next generation capabilities are brought up quickly and not have these long development cycles that have been in the past. The process involves continuous miniaturization in order to fit more transistors on integrated circuits (ICs), or essentially bringing Moore’s law to bear in space. This could dovetail well with the companies LEO ambitions, as satellites in this orbit typically have shorter life span and therefore require less radiation hardening compared to 15-year geostationary satellites.
Features of SATCOM SOLUTIONS FOR 5G
- Cost Effective
- Plug and play
- Enabling Mobile Operators and Network Vendors to accelerate 5G deployment across all geographies and multiple use cases
- Creating new and growing market opportunities for SATCOM Industry Stakeholders
- Integrating Satellite Links with heavy emphasis on standardization to allow trusted operation and to Facilitate industry adoption
- Focus in on eMBB(enhanced Mobile Broadband) to fixed and Mobile Networks, including support for orchestration and slicing, with the satellite links providing backhaul connectivity either alone or in parallel (Multilink) connectivity with terrestrial links.
- Platform which enables high efficiency, high performance, Virtualization and Multiservice capability parameter for 5G.
- Consider the Successful Demonstration of 5G Connectivity over a LEO Satellite, Powered by Gilat using Telesats phase 1 LEO
- At EuCNC 2019, Sat5G conducted six demonstrations showcasing 5G use case over satellite: Video Streaming, Content Caching, Airline Connectivity, 5G NR over satellite, Backhaul applications-1, Backhaul applications-2
- In General, Testing campaign confirms LEO provides superior fiber-like performance for high end satellite services.
- The ability to demonstrate Fiber-Like performance via satellite across a number of applications that perform poorly on GEO satellite backhaul is a testament to the capabilities of LEO network for 5G.
- With its high-throughput links, ultra-low latency, and disruptive economics, LEO constellations offers an unparalleled value proposition to expand the reach of 4G and 5G networks.
Test Scenarios Included:
- High definition Video steaming without interruption
- Video conference with teams demonstrating consistent and voice transmission with user experience matching terrestrial and cellular connections
- Remote desktop connection to seamlessly manage a remote computer
- VPN connection without any delay or outages
- FTP encrypted file transfers of 2GB in both directions
- IPsec tuned encryption with no reduction in the performance of the link.
As satellite professionals plan, design and build offerings to provide best-in-class connectivity for 5G customers, we are eager to explore how cutting edge technologies like new LEO constellations can integrate with global connectivity infrastructure across every application to deliver an outstanding performance, with significant improvement over what we can achieve via GEO satellites today.
Therefore, to get super-high, multi-gigabit speeds, carriers are first turning to newer, much higher frequencies, known as millimeter-wave (mmW).
Andrew Aroh is President SSPI Nigeria
MTN Nigeria today held the opening ceremony for the 2025 edition of 21Days of Y’ello Care, the company’s annual employee volunteerism initiative.
This year’s campaign, themed “Connecting at the Roots – Connecting Communities through Digital Tools,” will run from June 1 to June 21, 2025, and focuses on supporting communities that continue to face barriers to digital access and connectivity.
MTN Nigeria kicked off on Sunday June 1 with trainings across different locations in Lagos where staff of the company volunteered to delivered training in valuable areas such as digital marketing and personal branding and employability skills.
In line with the Group-wide campaign theme, MTN Nigeria is implementing a series of grassroots initiatives aimed at expanding digital inclusion and connectivity in underserved areas.
Planned activities include equipping schools and community youth centres with devices, digital literacy workshops, deployment of community Wi-Fi access points, support for digital entrepreneurship and the establishment of an all-in-one Y’ello Pods across the country that will provide a digital hub for learning and support financial inclusion.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held in Lagos, Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria said, Y’ello Care matters to us because we’re a digital company and we’re operating in an environment where there are so many needs. At MTN Nigeria, we care, and we want to show our direct connection and responsibility to the communities we operate in.
Now in its 18th year, Y’ello Care is a groupwide flagship MTN employee volunteering initiative that encourages MTNers to volunteer their time and expertise to support positive social change.
The campaign reflects MTN’s purpose to enable the benefits of a modern connected life for everyone and is anchored in the company’s core values.
In 2024, in a remarkable demonstration of corporate volunteerism, MTN staff, through the Y’ello Care initiative, reconstructed a school block at Iwerekun Community High School, Lakowe. This effort has restored hope and significantly improved learning conditions for both students and teachers.
For further information, updates on “21 Days of Y’ello Care”and MTN Nigeria’s commitment to social development, please visit yellocare.ng or follow us on social media.
Fresh, on-the-ground evidence from health planners and climate analysts in Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa shows how the Open Buildings dataset, which maps more than 1.8 billion structures, is helping frontline projects close service gaps and strengthen community resilience.
Across the continent, artificial-intelligence tools are graduating from pilots to public-service workhorses, powering everything from crop-price forecasts to live language translation. Open Buildings—developed by researchers at Google Research Africa—is part of that shift, proving that open, locally guided AI can turn sparse data into timely decisions without locking African problem-solvers behind paywalls or proprietary gates.
In Rwanda, the Ministry of Health and Kigali-based Sand Technologies resited rural clinics with help from the dataset. Their new blueprint aims to bring 92% of citizens within a 30-minute reach of care, trimming journeys that put mothers and newborns at risk.
Across Northern Nigeria, epidemiologists at AFENET and geographers from WorldPop uncovered 10,250 buildings, guiding vaccinators who reached 70% of the zero-dose and under-immunized children identified through the mapping in just six months.
Meanwhile, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has already applied this flood-risk modelling in Dire Dawa, Kigali, Musanze, Gqeberha and Johannesburg, combining two-dimensional hydraulic simulations with building footprints to create block-by-block exposure maps.
The need is pressing: Nairobi is still recovering from the May 2024 floods that displaced more than 278 000 residents, while Johannesburg’s rapid growth along the flood-prone Jukskei River continues to heighten vulnerability
These projects tackle challenges felt across the continent. Africa still has about 8.7 million “zero-dose” children who receive no routine vaccines each year, while the urban population is projected to almost double to nearly one billion people by 2035— forcing new homes into high-risk floodplains and informal settlements.
By giving ministries, city engineers and NGOs a street-level view of where communities are growing and how they change over time, the Open Buildings dataset lets limited budgets flow to the people and places that need them most.
Dr Aisha Walcott-Bryant, Research Scientist & Head, Google Research Africa, “These projects show what happens when local expertise meets open, scalable technology: mothers reach clinics sooner, children receive long-overdue vaccines, and city planners get ahead of the next flood.
“We’re thrilled to stand beside partners who turn data into decisive action, proving that AI’s highest calling is to solve real-world challenges.”
From lifesaving clinics to climate-smart cities, these projects show how open AI is fast becoming Africa’s quiet engine for equitable progress.
The Open Buildings dataset—along with sample code, tutorials and its new 2.5D layer—is freely available at g.co/openbuildings.
To deliver simpler, smarter banking solutions, Union Bank of Nigeria has partnered with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) network, a Financial Market Infrastructure that provides hassle-free and convenient cross-border money transfers to some selected African countries.
This revolutionary payment solution for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is designed to transform how payments are made across Africa.
With PAPSS, customers can send money instantly to Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Nigeria and more African countries in the future.
Using PAPPS offers numerous benefits to customers, including, but not limited to, instant payments or transfers, cheaper foreign transaction costs, no need to source FX, enhanced security, and intra-African trade opportunities.
Commenting on this partnership that goes across borders, Peter Amadi, Head of Transaction Banking at Union Bank of Nigeria, said,
” At Union Bank of Nigeria, we are committed to driving innovation and excellence in banking. Our focus is on providing seamless and efficient banking through simpler, smarter solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.
“We believe in fostering strong relationships and delivering exceptional value to our customers, ensuring their success in today’s dynamic financial landscape.”
Mike Ogbalu III, CEO of PAPSS, commenting on this partnership, said, “I am very excited and proud to see Union Bank of Nigeria, a bank with over a century of banking legacy, joining the PAPSS network.
“This shows how PAPSS will be a game changer for the continent by enabling infrastructure to spur the growth of intra-African trade and commerce, with the active participation of regional economic communities, private sectors, and other stakeholders.”
Union Bank’s partnership with PAPSS marks a significant milestone in the Bank’s commitment to driving innovation and excellence in banking.
By providing seamless and efficient banking solutions through simpler, smarter means, the Bank aims to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
This collaboration enhances the Bank’s service offerings, fosters strong relationships, and delivers exceptional value to customers, ensuring their success in today’s dynamic financial landscape.
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