The Project MECON stands at the forefront of the Eureka Cluster’s CELTIC-NEXT 2023 initiative. The 3GPP “terrestrial” 5G and beyond mobile networks fall short of fulfilling world market demands of accessing and delivering services anywhere and economically around the world. Demand for broadband service continuity is expected to further drive the network evolution and expansion into areas with broadband coverage for direct connectivity and IoT services. Integration of Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks as a unified network will be able to provide global coverage and connectivity everywhere and anytime. The unified Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and Terrestrial networks (TN) is expected to enable direct connectivity with standard smartphones and IoT devices globally and economically, with or without the need of terrestrial infrastructures.

The core ambition of MECON is to harness the power of AI-driven technologies to enhance network integration, aiming to ensure optimal global connectivity through the synergistic use of Terrestrial and Non-terrestrial networks within the realms of 5G and 6G environments. The project’s focal points include Network Unification, Dynamic Configuration in 5G/6G Networks, Autonomous Orchestrator for Satellite MEC, End-to-End Network Slicing Optimization, AI-Driven Automation and Optimization, and the reduction of End-to-End Latency, addressing key requirements such as low latency and high reliability across various settings.

In this project, IS-Wireless plays a pivotal role in MECON by exploring the potential of NTN in advancing beyond 5G technologies. A notable innovation is the application of UAV swarms as Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) solutions, tailored for complex 3D environments such as smart cities, wildlife forests, and mountainous areas. Additionally, IS-Wireless spearheads the development of intelligent traffic steering xApps. These applications dynamically select the most suitable radio access technologies for each user equipment (UE) based on real-time conditions, ensuring optimal routing for services like Low latency directly via LEO satellites or eMBB services through terrestrial networks. This strategic approach enhances Quality of Experience (QoE) and facilitates efficient 5G Network Slicing over NTN. IS-Wireless is committed to enhancing MECON’s proof of concept (PoC) for end-to-end connectivity by establishing a 5G O-RAN architecture as the local testbed. This setup will be seamlessly integrated with other emulated testbeds, ensuring a robust and comprehensive connectivity framework.