LEO Satellite Constellations for 5G and Beyond: How Will They Reshape Vertical Domains?

The rapid development of communication technologies in the past decades has provided immense vertical opportunities for individuals and enterprises. However, conventional terrestrial cellular networks have unfortunately neglected the huge geographical digital divide, ^since high-bandwidth wireless coverage is concentrated in urban areas. To meet the goal of “connecting the unconnected,” integrating low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites with the terrestrial cellular networks has been widely considered as a promising solution. In this article, we first introduce the development roadmap of LEO ^satellite constellations (SatCons), including early attempts in LEO satellites with the emerging LEO constellations. Further, we discuss the unique opportunities of employing LEO SatCons for the delivery of integrating 5G networks. Specifically, we present their key performance indicators, which offer important guidelines for the design of associated enabling techniques, and then discuss the potential impact of integrating LEO SatCons with typical 5G use cases, where we engrave our vision of various vertical domains reshaped by LEO SatCons. Technical challenges are finally provided to specify future research directions.

Introduction

The unprecedented development of communication technology in the past few decades has demanded an exponential growth in the overall transmission rate [1], [2]. Unlike previous generations of mobile communications, from 1G to 4G, 5G networks aim for ubiquitous connections to help digitize the economy and contribute toward the global digital transformation, rather than barely improving the overall data rate. The driving force for further beyond 5G (B5G) and even 6G research is the demand-intensive vertical industries, which can be classified as one or a mix of the following usage scenarios: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-laten-cy communications (URLLC) [3].

The authors introduce the development roadmap of LEO satellite constellations (SatCons), including early attempts in LEO satellites with the emerging LEO constellations. They discuss the unique opportunities of employing LEO SatCons for the delivery of integrating 5G networks, They present their key performance indicators, which offer important guidelines for the design of associated enabling techniques.