- 3GPP’s NTN baseline in Release 17 and upgrades in Release 18 underpin device mobility between space and ground.
- Vendors and operators are piloting direct-to-device and IoT use cases while testing gaps in power, latency and spectrum.
What happened: Standards snapshot
Capacity Global highlights “two key networking standards” for terrestrial–non-terrestrial network (NTN) integration. Broadly across the ecosystem, those are 3GPP Release 17—which first codified NTN operation in 5G—and the 5G-Advanced upgrades in Release 18 that enhance mobility and add IoT/NB-IoT options. Together they aim to make phones and modules roam between satellites and cell towers without breaking sessions.
Recent field activity lends weight to this trajectory. Deutsche Telekom, Skylo and Qualcomm ran Europe’s first satellite-SMS trial using 3GPP direct-to-handset (D2H) features, while 5GAA demonstrations in Paris put satellite-assisted connected cars on city streets.
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Why it’s important
A standards-based path promises wider coverage, resilience during outages and simpler device design: one modem, multiple access paths. Analysts and vendors say Rel-17/18 make handover, timing and Doppler compensation tractable, laying groundwork for mass-market direct-to-device and sensor networks.
But questions remain. Power budgets on handsets, spectrum coordination across GEO/NGSO layers and service economics could slow scale-up; test reports still show sensitivity to latency and fast-moving LEO links. Policymakers and operators will need to nail roaming, lawful intercept and emergency services across space-and-ground cores before marketing “everywhere coverage.”
