6G LAB

Non-terrestrial networks entered 3GPP in Release 17, covering both narrowband IoT over satellite and NR over satellite, and direct-to-device services using low Earth orbit constellations have moved from demonstration to early commercial service.

What 6G changes is integration. Rather than satellite access being a separate mode bolted onto a terrestrial standard, ubiquitous connectivity as a usage scenario implies that terrestrial and non-terrestrial access are designed together, with handover, service continuity and consistent security across both.

For a planner, the consequence is that coverage becomes a composite. The question shifts from "where does my terrestrial network reach" to "what is the cheapest combination of terrestrial and satellite that meets the coverage obligation", which is a genuinely different optimisation.