5G-EMERGE is a digital transformation project having the aim to build an ecosystem that integrates Near Edges connected to the Satellite Teleport to Far Edges that users can access through the 5G communication technology.
The main goal of this project is to bring data-intensive mass media closer to the end-user, reducing terrestrial network congestion and allowing a smooth and secure distribution “anywhere, anytime” of different kinds of data, from Entertainment content (e.g., high-quality media content), to Information (e.g., news, traffic information updates, emergency messages) (https://connectivity.esa.int/projects/5gemerge, https://www.5g-emerge.com/).
The project, launched in June 2022, is led by the EBU and co-funded by ESA under its ARTES programme, and involves around 21 companies among satellite companies, content providers, SMEs, and other research centers (including LINKS).
During the last week of September 2023, the Italian public broadcaster RAI hosted an important meeting among the 5G-EMERGE consortium partners, which represented an important milestone for the project. During this meeting, the partners agreed on the definition of the system components, and a live demonstration of the 5G-EMERGE ecosystem performed at EBU was shown, validating the envisioned technology in a Direct-to-Home scenario. This paves the way for the upcoming demonstrations envisioned in March 2024, where the content distribution will be directed from the satellite to edges in moving vehicles and 4G/5G base stations, and then delivered to the end-user.
LINKS is coordinating the demonstrators in the Direct-to-Vehicle scenario, which faces the challenging problem to give satellite connectivity to moving vehicles.
