Mirage Detector: A Reliable Multiuser Preamble Detector for 6G-NTN

January 1, 2026·
Ali Georganaki
,
Jorge Querol
,
Thang X. Vu
,
Symeon Chatzinotas
· 2 min read
Abstract
Accessing non-terrestrial networks (NTN) via existing 4G/5G handheld devices without positioning information presents significant challenges in achieving precise synchronization between a gNodeB and hundreds of users dispersed across an NTN cell. While terrestrial communication standards limit the relative delay between the center and edge of coverage to 200 km, multilayered NTN can introduce user-specific delay variation spanning thousands of kilometers. To address this challenge, we reeingeer the receiver’s Random Access (RA) preamble detector to achieve robust detection and Transmission Arrival (TA) estimation of scattered users with unknown but deterministic differential delays. The proposed Physical layer algorithm, termedMiragedetector, aligns with current 3GPP NTN standardization efforts and is forward/backward-compatible with future/earlier releases.Miragedetector leverages a dynamicStridingmechanism for multiple hypothesis testing, making it resilient to high false alarm rates caused by signals arriving beyond their nominal duration.Miragealso efficiently supports multiuser detection, enabling rapid resynchronization during frequent handovers—approximately twice per minute per Connected UE—while minimizing computational load of the transceivers. Extensive simulations results validate the advantage of the proposedMiragedetector that enables reliable multilayer connectivity for hundreds of legacy devices within the access occasion periodicity, without requiring hardware upgrades or any self-localization capability.
Type
Publication
IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
publication

Abstract & Overview

Accessing non-terrestrial networks (NTN) via existing 4G/5G handheld devices without positioning information presents significant challenges in achieving precise synchronization between a gNodeB and hundreds of users dispersed across an NTN cell. While terrestrial communication standards limit the relative delay between the center and edge of coverage to 200 km, multilayered NTN can introduce user-specific delay variation spanning thousands of kilometers. To address this challenge, we reeingeer the receiver’s Random Access (RA) preamble detector to achieve robust detection and Transmission Arrival (TA) estimation of scattered users with unknown but deterministic differential delays. The proposed Physical layer algorithm, termedMiragedetector, aligns with current 3GPP NTN standardization efforts and is forward/backward-compatible with future/earlier releases.Miragedetector leverages a dynamicStridingmechanism for multiple hypothesis testing, making it resilient to high false alarm rates caused by signals arriving beyond their nominal duration.Miragealso efficiently supports multiuser detection, enabling rapid resynchronization during frequent handovers—approximately twice per minute per Connected UE—while minimizing computational load of the transceivers. Extensive simulations results validate the advantage of the proposedMiragedetector that enables reliable multilayer connectivity for hundreds of legacy devices within the access occasion periodicity, without requiring hardware upgrades or any self-localization capability.

Publication Metadata

6G-NTN