INNOVATIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS

Evolution is underway with new high and very high-capacity systems (HTS and VHTS) and with flexible configurations. Geostationary satellite communications, a consolidated and recognized technology, is being reinvigorated with developments in the ground segment (more efficient and dynamic protocols in encoding and resource allocation) and in the space segment (HTS, VHTS, dynamic beams, and SDN/Virtualization applications in space). Solutions such as antennas with lens application, with electronic beam tuning using holography or phase composition, as well as hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks for various applications also contribute.

A new space communications ecosystem promises a revolution in the development, deployment and services provided by satellite constellations in different orbits. With the development of new launcher options, spacecraft design and production, new propulsion systems, and larger and diverse connectivity demands, the concept of New Space emerges. The new paradigm associated with New Space is the democratization of space – a feeling that space is not just for the few, but for everyone, a new attitude towards space and how it can be used. Main result: multiplication of mega constellations of small satellites in low orbit.

Driven by equipment miniaturization and the integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI), a wide variety of satellites and sensors emerge, capable of providing images with different qualities, depending on the desired purpose, which define the ideal spatial, spectral, radiometric and temporal resolution. In parallel, also driven using AI, there is a continuous evolution of digital image processing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Global Navigation Satellite Systems have become fundamental to modern society, extrapolating their original function of supporting positioning (P) and navigation (N), and becoming a fundamental resource as a time reference (T) for various segments of society. To increase its resilience, several PNT service alternatives have been developed or are under study, both terrestrial (e.g. e-Loran) and hybrid (e.g. Locata). The use of the new LEO satellite constellations in GNSS also contributes to increasing the resilience and availability of the system.

The "quasi-satellite" technology inspired by the advantages of high-altitude platforms and low cost compared to traditional space systems. The use of quasi-stationary platforms (balloons, airplanes, airships, High-Altitude Platform Station or HAPS) in the stratosphere (~20 km), has gained traction recently due to progress in composite materials, directional antennas, battery and solar cell technology, and new technologies such as software-defined networks (SDN). Various technologies are used in the projects under development, such as Thales Alenia's Stratobus project (aerostat) or Airbus' Zephyr (unmanned aircraft).

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), introduced in 3GPP version 17, are transforming wireless communications by enabling connectivity via satellite, via lighter- and heavier-than-air artifacts (balloons and autonomous airplanes, respectively), and even via drones, for a wide range of devices – from smartphones and IoT sensors to vehicles and critical infrastructure. As NTNs gain prominence in a variety of industries, understanding the nuances of different approaches – including multi-orbit links integrated into terrestrial networks, both to the network core and directly to a conventional cellular – is crucial.

IoT represents a global infrastructure interconnecting physical and virtual things through communications technologies. The various IoT platforms encompass remote sensing and control techniques, storage and analysis algorithms for Bigdata, monetization and security with blockchain, connectivity, i.e., LPWAN (NB-IoT, 5G-RedCap, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, etc.) and low-power direct connectivity technologies between sensors and low-orbit satellites. With IoT, attractive business models and a myriad of use cases expand human possibilities, how we see and interact with the world, and, as a result, how we live and relate to each other.

The 5G revolution, its 5G Advanced evolution focusing on AI (machine learning) applied to the end-to-end wireless system – spanning network, RAN, device, and air interface – are already largely integrated into complex connectivity solutions. 6G studies are advancing, with 3GPP specifications expected to be launched in 2030 (IMT 2030). 6G networks, already native to AI, with capabilities such as integrated communication and sensing (ISAC) and exploration of new frequency bands, will enable unprecedented use cases and devices, deepening the fusion between the digital and physical worlds and promising much smarter, adaptive, and context-aware networks.

New emerging technologies will make future telecommunications systems too complex for human operation, and AI will be needed to address a multi-dimensional dynamic connectivity environment, capable of optimizing spectral sharing, energy consumption, and environmental impact in real time. In addition to AI, new technologies are being developed to enable this new ecosystem, such as quantum computing and telecommunications, high-precision sensing, positioning, and timing capabilities, new three-dimensional network topologies (land, air, space), and the use of new spectral bands.