6G-NTN² (NEXUS) – Harmonized Ku/Ka TN/NTN Radio Access & GNSS-Free PNT
June 1, 2024
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1 min read
Horizon Europe SNS JU
Role: Task 5.4 PoC#2 Lead (SnT – SIGCOM / 6GSPACE Lab)
Funding: European Commission (Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking – SNS JU)
Official Page: uni.lu/snt-en/research-projects/6g-ntn2/
Executive Summary
6G-NTN² (NEXUS) is a Horizon Europe SNS JU flagship project designing a unified 6G Terrestrial / Non-Terrestrial Network (TN/NTN) architecture. Within the consortium, the 6GSPACE Lab leads Task 5.4 Proof-of-Concept #2 (PoC#2) on harmonized TN/NTN radio access above 10 GHz (Ku/Ka-band) with native, GNSS-independent Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) for mobile user terminals.
Key Objectives & Contributions
- Ku/Ka-Band Joint Communications & PNT (JCAP): High-accuracy range and Doppler positioning exploiting wideband Ku/Ka-band 6G-NTN waveforms without relying on GNSS availability.
- In-Lab & Over-the-Air (OTA) PoC#2 Validation: End-to-end validation using a 4-channel PNT-e receiver and multi-orbit hardware channel emulator in the laboratory, followed by over-the-air trials with 2 commercial NGSO satellites in Ku/Ka-band.