The 5G-EMERGE project aims to develop an integrated satellite and terrestrial system based on open standards, to enable high-quality content distribution services.

 

Telecommunications satellites will be used to efficiently deliver high-demand content, including streaming of live events, as close as possible to the end user – to the ‘edge’. This could be in neighbourhood base stations or even in the users' homes or vehicles. At these network edges, a smart satellite gateway will be able to connect to a regular smartphone, a tablet or a TV set.

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The project consortium is led by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union)  with the majority of funding coming from ESA, the European Space Agency, under its ARTES programme. (ESA provides information on the project here.)

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Project phases

 

5G-EMERGE consists of two project phases of two years each. Phase 1 ran from Q4 2022 to Q4 2024 and Phase 2 will be completed in Q4 2026.

 

In Phase 1 the 5G-EMERGE ecosystem successfully proved a solid problem–solution fit by prototyping a series of demonstrators and testbeds. These addressed a range of media-related use cases in the following market segments: direct-to-home, for individual and collective use; direct-to-vehicle; and direct-to-edge.

 

Phase 2 introduces a new segment for direct-to-device multicast/broadcast media services, building on the findings of Phase 1. It will also see the development of solutions for critical technology elements to improve the potential of the market uptake. Besides aiming at optimizing existing solutions, integration with upcoming 5G NR-NTN networks will be investigated.

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5G-EMERGE will put Europe at the vanguard of media delivery technology. European citizens and industry alike will benefit from smarter and more efficient media delivery through the link-up of satellite communication systems with land-based 5G connectivity.