Keysight Korea has given the green light for the commercialization of 6G non-terrestrial communications.

Keysight announced on the 10th that it has successfully completed verification (PoC) of a handover protocol between NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) using Mugunghwa Satellite 6A in cooperation with KT SAT.

This demonstration is one of the first domestic cases of implementing handover between GEO (geostationary orbit satellite) and LEO (low earth orbit satellite), a key 6G technology for ground-satellite integration, in a real environment, and is evaluated as an important milestone in increasing the possibility of realizing global coverage in the 6G era.

The demonstration took place at KT SAT's Geumsan Satellite Center, with Keysight's UXM 5G wireless test platform (base station emulator) and UeSIM (terminal emulator) acting as the base station and terminal, respectively.

The test environment consisted of UXM ↔ Geumsan Satellite Center large antenna ↔ Mugunghwa Satellite 6A (GEO) ↔ Center rooftop small antenna ↔ UeSIM, and UXM also served as a LEO satellite.

In a two-way communication link with a bandwidth of 5 MHz, the terminal is connected to a GEO satellite while in LEO We successfully verified the process of seamlessly switching communications as the satellite enters the line of sight.

This is an example of overcoming technical challenges, such as long propagation delays and the Doppler effect, unique to satellite communications, and has proven the possibility of implementing stable NTN communications.

NTN technology is a key infrastructure that overcomes the limitations of terrestrial networks and provides global coverage, and is attracting attention as an essential element of the 6G era.

In particular, multi-orbit satellite-to-satellite traffic handover technology is a key technology for establishing a stable global communications network, and this demonstration is a significant achievement that demonstrates its feasibility.

KT SAT CEO Seo Young-soo said, “We will gradually verify the feasibility of applying NTN base stations and terminals based on the Mugunghwa satellite and take the lead in providing stable multi-orbit satellite services.”

“Through our collaboration with KT SAT, we have confirmed that seamless handover between GEO and LEO is possible in a real-world environment,” said Lee Seon-woo, CEO of Keysight Korea. “We will continue to collaborate with satellite communications and 6G research institutes, as well as telecommunications operators, to contribute to the development and standardization of global NTN technology.”