ST Engineering iDirect reports it has demonstrated a pilot version of a multi-waveform 5G New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN) user equipment modem. iDirect describes this technology as “the foundation” for bringing the company’s networking technology into the broader 5G ecosystem.
What’s unique about the user equipment modem is that it is designed to support 5G NR NTN and DVB-S2X/MRC satellite waveforms in a single device. ST Engineering iDirect’s aim with INT3000 is to allow operators to deploy native 5G NR-NTN services while also supporting DVB and hybrid network architectures during migration and modernization.
The demonstration conducted over a satellite simulator took place this week at the European Space Agency (ESA) 5G NTN Forum. The pilot connected through iDirect’s Intuition ground system.
The company says this demonstration is a milestone in phased multi-waveform user equipment development and supports the evolution toward interoperable 5G NTN satellite and 6G networks.
“The industry is moving toward standards-based 5G NTN connectivity, but at the same time, operators must support existing satellite networks. Our vision for the INT3000 is to bring these worlds together in a single user equipment, providing a practical path for operators to evolve their networks while leveraging existing investments,” explained ST Engineering iDirect Vice President Shravan Gaddam.
