Hi-Star

The area of communications experienced a quantum leap with invention of new radio 5G standard, enabling improvement of existing and development of new life-changing services (like intelligent transportation systems or IoT). Encouraged by recent advances in satellite communications, especially related to low-earth-orbit satellites, research community has been considering ambitious strategy of building universal communication network (6G), which will integrate satellite communication links into 5G ecosystem. The hi-STAR project is one of pioneering projects in the area, with ambition to propose and analyze potential of intelligent hybrid integrated satellite-terrestrial network architecture, solving currently open problems related to traffic distribution between terrestrial and satellite parts of the network. We aim to propose innovative traffic control module based on artificial-intelligence principles, implemented at user terminal and network gateway, with ability to choose the best radio access channel for a user, among several available terrestrial and satellite communication links. Our approach relies on the statistical communications and information theory and software defined networks. An outcome of the project will be a hardware implementation of hybrid user terminal (HUT)(with integrated 5G and satellite transceivers) that steers user’s traffic, with respect to available bandwidth, measured channel state information, user terminal velocity and gained user’s past experience. The proposed solution will provide better user experience, measured in terms of higher service accessibility and quality of service. By integrating HUT within connected vehicles or drone-assisted sensor networks, a network operator will benefit from wider coverage for the existing services, as well as ability to provide new services. Business opportunity analysis will be conducted for selected use cases and business models will be developed in collaboration with network operators.