A slew of demonstrations showing off 5G’s capabilities took place in Barcelona this week, thanks to satellites.

ESA’s first live demonstration of 5G by satellite began last week, as an ingenious set-up of European space and ground nodes showed a crowd in Berlin how it can help connect devices in the much-lauded ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT).

The 5G Infrastructure Association (5G IA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signalled their intent to work together to enable new and innovative 5G solutions and services in support of European industry and the 5G vertical markets.

The focal point for the development of mobile systems beyond 3G has become the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).The decisions reached during the last 3GPP plenary meeting in La Jolla (San Diego, US) pave the way for the successful integration of satellites in 5G. 

ESA now welcomes unsolicited proposal submissions covering the whole product development life cycle. 

ESA Director General Jan Wörner signed a Memorandum of Intent with Rolls-Royce today, as the two entities agree to investigate how space technology can be used to develop autonomous and remote-controlled ships.

5G is expected to bring a revolution in telecommunications; and a coordinated, Pan-European approach to trials is essential if Europe is to achieve leadership in 5G technology, network deployment and penetration of 5G services in key vertical markets.

The SATis5 testbed will implement, deploy and evaluate an integrated satellite-terrestrial 5G network, showcasing the benefits of the satellite integration with the terrestrial infrastructures in order to increase the trust in the newly developed 5G technologies and to foster their adoption.

The on-going development of 5th Generation (5G) communication networks provides a unique opportunity for a seamless integration of satellites with terrestrial networks, an opportunity that the space industry should capitalise on by working closely with the terrestrial sector in areas of mutual interest, such as interoperability, network orchestration and spectrum use.

A recent event organised by ESA focussed on role satcoms will play in the realisation of 5G networks.