Working with partners, Qualcomm is testing non-terrestrial network-based cellular connectivity, as well as the integration of non-terrestrial and terrestrial networks
As 6G begins to take shape through international research and early standardization efforts, Qualcomm is placing strategic emphasis on technologies that push beyond the boundaries of traditional terrestrial networks (TNs). Among them: non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) and holographic communication, both key to enabling the kind of seamless, high-performance mobile experiences envisioned for the next decade.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Qualcomm Director of Engineering Amira Alloum described how her team is working on prototyping NTN communications aligned with 3GPP Release 17, which first introduced satellite-based cellular connectivity into the standards framework.
For NTN, Release 17 includes adaptations to the physical layer to handle propagation delays and Doppler shifts, support for transparent and regenerative satellite payloads, uplink timing adjustments to account for long round-trip times, and mechanisms to compensate for frequency errors. Release 17 also extended NB-IoT and LTE-M standards for machine-to-machine communications to operate over satellite links.
“Our team is working towards prototyping NTN communications aligned with Release 17 in partnership with Ericsson and Telus,” Alloum told RCR Wireless News. “We are working towards realizing and defining features like handover, for example, and defining the protocols that will enable the future of NTN devices.”
Qualcomm has been working with Ericsson and Thales Alenia Space on NTN research and development since 2022. In March this year, the partners, working in a French test lab, connected a 5G-standards based NTN call with a simulated low earth orbit (LEO) satellite channel. According to Ericsson, “The trial proved that an NR-NTN capable device would never be without mobile coverage where areas are served by either terrestrial or non-terrestrial networks.”
For Qualcomm, the convergence of terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems within the same standards is critical to ensuring seamless, ubiquitous connectivity. “It’s important to get the benefit of the terrestrial networks, and get the NTN and the TN within the same standards. Then we can easily ensure the continuity of service.”
At a high level, aligning satellite systems with cellular standards dramatically changes the cost structure. Standardization enables the use of high-volume, lower-cost chipsets—unlike proprietary satellite systems of the past. Other relevant macro factors include the declining cost of launching payloads into orbit and, from the perspective of traditional satellite companies, telecoms represents a large, attractive market.
But satellite-based mobile connectivity comes with challenges—especially when working with LEO satellites that move quickly across the sky. These introduce strong Doppler shifts, long round-trip propagation delays, and the need for dynamic handover between satellites and between terrestrial and satellite networks.
“We need to establish frequency offset compensation and time offset compensation, and define the algorithms that can handle that,” Aloum explained. “Because the LEO satellites move quite fast, we need also to consider the handover from a satellite to another—which we call NTN to NTN handover—and the handover from terrestrial to non-terrestrial networks and vice versa.”
This kind of integration, though complex, unlocks the possibility of ubiquitous connectivity—seamless mobile service whether you’re in a remote village, on a moving train, or flying over an ocean.
In addition to her work on NTN, Alloum’s team is also exploring what comes next for immersive communication. As XR evolves beyond today’s headsets and smart glasses, Qualcomm is researching holographic communication—a step toward more lifelike, 3D interpersonal interactions.
“It will be one of the next…key features for immersive communications,” Alloum said. She noted a recent demonstration of a holographic call over 5G between Lannion, France, and Barcelona, Spain.
As Qualcomm advances 6G research across multiple fronts—from NTN/TN integration to new types of immersive experiences—the goal is consistent: a resilient, intelligent, and globally accessible mobile network that supports not just faster connectivity, but entirely new forms of communication.
