The 5G-HUB project enables resilient 5G services through TN-NTN integration and seamless vertical handover.
As modern society increasingly relies on digital services and secure communications, the need for resilient and ubiquitous network infrastructures that can guarantee service continuity even under extreme operating conditions is becoming increasingly apparent. In particular, mission-critical services targeting areas such as public safety, civil protection, emergency management, defense, and humanitarian operations require significantly higher levels of reliability, availability, and quality of service than traditional commercial communications. Within this scenario, the 5G-HUB project is positioned as a European initiative aimed at exploring and demonstrating new approaches to the integration of terrestrial and satellite networks, with the aim of enabling truly continuous and resilient 5G Mission Critical (MCx) services.
What is the 5G-Hub project?
The 5G-HUB project is integrated into the broader framework of the European GOVSATCOM (Government Satellite Communications) Strategy, which is one of the fundamental pillars of the European Union’s space policy to ensure safe, reliable and sovereign government communications. GOVSATCOM was conceived to address the need to coordinate and integrate existing and future European satellite resources and make them available to institutional users through a centralized management mechanism, common policies, and guaranteed service levels. In the long term, this vision will be fully realized by the Next Generation European Satellite System IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security through Satellites), a multi-orbital constellation of low-Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites that will form the backbone of Europe’s secure communications for the next decade.
Within this strategic context, 5G-HUB serves as an enabling project focused on the integration of 5G terrestrial networks (TN) and 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN). The underlying rationale is that no single access technology can meet all requirements for MCx services across all operational scenarios. Terrestrial networks offer high capacity, low latency, and wide availability in densely populated areas, but are vulnerable to infrastructure failure, congestion, and physical destruction during natural disasters and crisis situations (Figure 1). In contrast, satellite networks guarantee global coverage, rapid deployment, and independence from local infrastructure, but face inherent limitations in terms of latency, capacity, and cost. By synergistically integrating TN and NTN, we can combine the strengths of both domains to achieve a robust system.
The partners of the 5G-HUB project are: University of Siena (project coordinator), Telecommunications Center of Catalonia, Hisdesat Servicios Estrategicos, Hispasat, Indra Sistemas, Indra Espacio, Onesource, Telecom Italia Spa, Fundacio Pro-Activa Open Arms, and Associazione della Croce Rossa Italiana.
The project is funded by EUSPA, the EU Space Program Agency.
integrated approach
The distinctive contribution of the 5G-HUB project lies precisely in the realization of an integrated TN-NTN system that can support service continuity for mission-critical applications through vertical handover mechanisms that are transparent to end users and applications. Vertical handover refers to the ability to transfer an active communication session from one access technology to another (e.g., from a terrestrial 5G network to a satellite-based 5G network) without service interruption. This requirement is critical for applications such as emergency communications, MCx services, telemedicine, operational coordination, and situational awareness, where even short interruptions can have serious consequences.
From an architectural perspective, 5G-HUB takes a systematic approach that combines multiple innovative elements. The central role is played by GOVSATCOM-HUB (G-HUB). It is conceived as a satellite resource broker that can integrate the capacity of multiple satellite operators and dynamically allocate it according to the needs of authorized users. The 5G-HUB project extends this paradigm by including the terrestrial 5G ecosystem, creating a truly integrated environment where resources can be managed in a coordinated manner.
To enable service continuity between TN and NTN, this project introduces an innovative functional element, commonly referred to as a smart gateway, that operates on both the user side and the emergency management side. This component is responsible for monitoring the connection status of user terminals and managing the redirection of traffic during the vertical handover phase. The key to this solution is that it preserves users’ IP addresses and application sessions during migrations between networks, avoiding the need for reconnection. In this way, service continuity is ensured even if there are fundamental changes in the underlying radio access technology.
5G-HUB innovation is not limited to the access layer, but also extends to network management. The project leverages network softwareization, virtualization, and cloud-native design principles extensively as 3GPP standards evolve from 5G onwards. Network functions are conceived as virtualized, disaggregated components that can be dynamically adjusted according to service requirements, both in the terrestrial and satellite domains. This approach allows NTN resources to be activated only when needed, reducing operational costs and increasing overall system efficiency. This is an aspect that is particularly relevant in the GOVSATCOM context, where satellite resources are valuable and need to be carefully managed.
Another key element is the development of an integrated TN-NTN user terminal that can operate on both terrestrial 5G networks and satellite links across different frequency bands (i.e. Ku and X). Such terminals represent a fundamental technical prerequisite to enable vertical handovers and make the integration between the two domains truly transparent. In the 5G-HUB project, these terminals are envisioned as a flexible platform based on software-defined solutions that can be adapted to a wide range of operational scenarios.
From an application perspective, 5G-HUB is strongly oriented towards practical validation of proposed solutions through demonstrations in realistic scenarios (Figures 1 and 2). The project’s demonstrations are designed to reflect typical operational situations faced by government and humanitarian services, such as large-scale emergency management (e.g. earthquake scenarios) and medical support at sea. These demonstrations therefore provide not only technical value but also strong conceptual validation and demonstrate how GOVSATCOM’s approach can deliver tangible benefits to institutional users.
In the context of the IRIS² system, the relevance of the 5G-HUB project becomes even more strategic. This future European LEO constellation is intended to provide secure, resilient, and high-performance communications to support both government users and strategic commercial applications. However, the real value of IRIS² lies not only in the space infrastructure itself, but also in its effective integration with ground networks and service management systems. 5G-HUB will accurately predict and experiment with these integration mechanisms, providing valuable insights into how to best utilize Europe’s LEO resources within a 5G-based ecosystem.
future network
Looking to the future, the results of the 5G-HUB project will contribute not only to technology development, but also to the definition of best practices, architectural models, and potential inputs to future standardization activities. Therefore, lessons learned within the project may influence future 3GPP releases and further evolve TN-NTN integration.
In conclusion, the 5G-HUB project can be considered as a technical and conceptual bridge between terrestrial 5G networks and next-generation government satellite communications. Through innovations in TN-NTN integration, vertical handover support and demonstration of service continuity for mission-critical applications, 5G-HUB will make a significant contribution to building a European ecosystem of secure, resilient and interoperable communications, fully aligned with GOVSATCOM’s vision and IRIS²’s strategic ambitions.
Acknowledgment
This publication was supported by the 5G-HUB research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement number 101180143. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or EUSPA.
Please note: This is a commercial profile
This article will also be published in the quarterly magazine issue 25.
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