China Telecom, ZTE and SpaceIoT have achieved the first deployment of a 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) in a marine setting. The successful deployment took place in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, an archipelago of islands at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay.
This milestone allows for satellite-ground interaction and data transmission in various marine scenarios, enabling real-time monitoring of marine water quality, temperature, and humidity, as well as emergency rescue operations on uninhabited islands.
The system utilizes China's Tiantong mobile communication satellite, along with NTN 5G base stations and terminals, adhering to international standards specified in Release 17 from 3GPP. In marine water quality monitoring, 5G NTN-enabled buoys collect data such as dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH values and location information.
This data is transmitted through 5G NTN networks to a cloud platform for real-time monitoring and analysis. In the uninhabited island monitoring scenario, temperature and humidity data are transmitted to the service platform using 5G NTN IoT terminals for analysis. Additionally, emergency rescue simulations can be conducted using 5G NTN satellite messenger terminals.
A 5G NTN terminal can autonomously transmit location information, and a mobile phone can connect to it via Bluetooth for voice and rescue messages. While still in its early stages, the goal of 5G NTN technology is to seamlessly integrate cellular and satellite communication systems, providing network coverage for sea and remote mountainous areas.
It can meet various application needs, such as short messages, IoT and positioning, and effectively address natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and typhoons.
