6G • RAN
NTN-LEO
Direct-to-Cell LEO Satellite Mega-Constellations
Low Earth Orbit satellites (500-1,200 km altitude) acting as flying 6G base stations or regenerative gNBs providing broadband directly to standard mobile phones.
Technical Explanation
Where previous satellite generations required specialized parabolic dishes and bulky satellite handsets, 6G NTN-LEO connects directly to unmodified smartphones. Operating at 500-1,200 km altitude, LEO satellites orbit Earth every 90-120 minutes. 6G gNB software running onboard the satellite executes beam steering, continuous Doppler compensation, and inter-satellite laser routing, delivering voice, high-speed broadband, and emergency messaging anywhere on Earth.
Key Functions
- Direct-to-standard-smartphone satellite cellular broadband without proprietary dishes
- Regenerative onboard processing executing gNodeB PHY, MAC, and RRC in space
- Optical inter-satellite laser links (OISL) providing terabit orbital mesh routing
- Seamless handover between rapid satellite passes with zero voice call drops
- Ubiquitous maritime, polar, and aeronautical broadband coverage
Specifications
3GPP Rel-19/20 TS 38.821 Evolution, ITU-R M.2160
Interfaces
NTN-UuOISL-MeshXn-Sat
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