Multipoint Transmission from Space: a Key Enabler for 6G-NTN

Non Terrestrial Networks are gaining more and more importance in transition from 5G to 5G advanced and 6G as a key enabler to achieve the ambitious objective of a flexible, resilient, ubiquitous, and efficient infrastructure in support of the convergence of the digital, human, and virtualized worlds. To this aim, several enabling technologies have to be developed to ensure that the performance levels achievable by the NTN component are compatible with the requirements of the network evolution. These technical enablers cover the entire system, from architecture, to components, from elements and resource orchestration to physical layer improvements and optimization. In this perspective, after a short introduction of the main research challenges to be addressed in the NTN component to enable a full unification with the terrestrial component, this talk will focus on the use of distributed precoding and beamforming in dense satellite constellations, e.g., mega constellations, as in uncomplete swarms constellations, e.g., for IoT applications.