Connectivity Technology Blog

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The Evolution of NTN in 3GPP from Release 17 to Release 19

Non-terrestrial networks have moved from early exploration to a more structured and capable part of the 3GPP ecosystem in a relatively short span of time. A recent presentation by Sertaç Kaya at the Global 5G Evolution webinar (embedded below) provided a useful walkthrough of how NTN specifications have evolved since Release 17, highlighting both incremental improvements and some more fundamental shifts. Release 17 marked the starting point for NTN within 3GPP. The focus at this stage was understandably narrow, laying down the baseline architecture and assumptions. Only transparent payloads were considered, meaning satellites acted largely as relays rather than performing any onboard processing. The spectrum options were limited, confined to L-band and S-band in FR1, and bandwidth was modest. The system design also assumed that user equipment would be equipped with GNSS capabilities, which played a key role in handling challenges such as Doppler shift and long round trip delays. Even a...

5G RedCap Edges Closer to Reality but the Ecosystem Still Needs Time

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) Research Team recently hosted a webinar examining the current state of 5G Reduced Capability, or RedCap, and its role in the wider 5G ecosystem. The session provided a useful snapshot of where the technology stands today, how it is evolving, and what still needs to happen before it reaches scale. At its core, 5G RedCap is designed to address a gap that has existed since the early days of 5G. While full 5G NR targets high performance use cases and technologies such as LTE-M and NB-IoT focus on ultra low power and low data rates, RedCap sits in between. It is intended for mid-tier IoT applications that require a balance of performance, cost, and energy efficiency. This positioning makes it particularly relevant for devices such as wearables, industrial sensors, cameras, and gateways, where full 5G capability is unnecessary but legacy IoT technologies may not be sufficient. RedCap was introduced as part of 3GPP Release 17, with the enhanced ve...

China’s Low-Altitude Economy Takes Off with Advanced Connectivity

The concept of the low-altitude economy has gained significant momentum in China over the past few years. It refers to economic activities that take place in airspace typically below 1,000 metres, including drones, urban air mobility, aerial logistics, surveillance, and emergency services. What was once largely experimental is now being scaled up through coordinated policy support, industrial participation, and increasingly sophisticated communications infrastructure. A key enabler of this transformation is the rapid evolution of China’s digital connectivity networks. Operators such as China Mobile are building integrated communication systems that combine terrestrial networks, satellite links, and specialised low-altitude connectivity capabilities. This integrated approach allows communication services to extend beyond traditional ground-based coverage and support applications across air, sea, and land. China Mobile has been expanding what it describes as an integrated air, space, gro...

Spain’s Connected V16 Emergency Beacon and the Role of Cellular IoT in Road Safety

Since January 2026, drivers in Spain have been required to use a connected V16 emergency beacon instead of traditional roadside warning triangles when their vehicle breaks down or is involved in an accident. What might appear to be a simple flashing light actually represents a sophisticated example of how cellular IoT technologies are being integrated into national traffic management systems. The V16 beacon is designed to be placed on the roof of a vehicle and activated immediately in the event of a breakdown or accident. The device emits a bright amber flashing light visible in all directions, improving visibility for approaching vehicles without requiring the driver to walk along the road to place warning triangles. This alone reduces the risk of secondary accidents, particularly on high-speed roads. The real innovation, however, lies in the connectivity built into this new generation of safety hardware. Certified devices include a GNSS receiver and a cellular communication module. O...

3D Communication Networks and the Future of Connectivity

Traditional communication networks have largely been designed around a two dimensional view of the world. Base stations are deployed across cities and rural areas, creating coverage footprints that expand horizontally across the landscape. While this approach has supported the growth of mobile communications for decades, the increasing demand for connectivity everywhere is pushing the industry to rethink how networks are designed and operated. The concept of a three dimensional communication network is emerging as a response to this challenge. Instead of relying only on terrestrial infrastructure, future networks are expected to integrate connectivity layers that exist on the ground, in the air and in space. By combining these layers into a unified architecture, it becomes possible to provide seamless coverage across environments that are currently difficult to serve. A 3D communication network brings together several different types of platforms. Traditional ground based cellular netw...

Underwater Communications and the Challenge of Ocean Connectivity

In May 2025, theNetworkingChannel brought together a panel of leading researchers for a deep technical discussion on underwater communications and networks . Organised by Marco Ajmone Marsan of IMDEA Networks Institute and Politecnico di Torino, the webinar explored how connectivity can be extended into one of the most challenging environments on Earth, the underwater domain. The session highlighted not only how far the field has progressed, but also why underwater networking remains fundamentally different from the terrestrial and satellite systems that dominate today’s connectivity landscape. The discussion opened by setting the context for underwater communications as an enabling technology for ocean observation, industrial operations and autonomous systems. From seabed sensors and autonomous underwater vehicles to surface buoys and gateways linking back to shore, the vision is of a heterogeneous network that spans the seabed, the water column and the surface. Cabled connection...

Wi-Fi HaLow - A Long Range, Low Power Wi-Fi Standard Designed for IoT

Wi-Fi HaLow is emerging as an important technology for large scale Internet of Things deployments that require long range, energy efficient, and IP native connectivity. Built on the IEEE 802.11ah standard, Wi-Fi HaLow extends Wi-Fi into sub-1 GHz spectrum, typically between 850 and 950 MHz depending on the regulatory domain. Operating well below the traditional 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz Wi-Fi bands allows it to support significantly greater range and better penetration through walls, floors and outdoor obstacles, which makes it well suited to industrial environments, logistics facilities, campuses, utilities and extended coverage smart home scenarios. Where conventional Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 are optimised for very high throughput and multi-gigabit applications, Wi-Fi HaLow is targeted at low to moderate data rate IoT workloads. These include telemetry, control, monitoring, and in some cases transmission of images or video streams where bandwidth requirements are modest ra...

Skylo’s Work on Making NB-NTN Voice a Reality

At the Global 5G Evolution Workshop a couple of months ago, Soham Desai, Staff Wireless Systems Engineer at Skylo, delivered an insightful session on the progress of voice over NB-NTN and why this capability is now becoming practical. His talk walked through the state of the technology, the recent advances that make narrowband satellite voice possible, and the work being done in 3GPP to support it. Soham began by introducing Skylo and its role in enabling direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity. Skylo works with a wide ecosystem that spans chipset vendors, device manufacturers, carriers and test equipment providers. The company promotes a hybrid approach that allows a single device and SIM to move seamlessly between terrestrial networks and Skylo’s satellite network whenever coverage is needed. A large number of consumer devices, including popular smartphones and smartwatches, already use Skylo’s services for satellite SOS and messaging, supported by a growing base of partners an...