ESA and 16 satellite industry leaders today signed a joint statement on their collaboration over ‘Satellite for 5G’ at the Paris Air and Space Show.

ESA and the European space industry are joining forces to develop and demonstrate the added value that satellite brings in the context of 5G.

As part of an ESA ‘Satellite for 5G’ initiative foreseen over 2018-20 and beyond, ESA and the European space industry will work together on:

– 5G service trials, including satellite capabilities, with a focus on selected sectors targeted by 5G, so called ‘Verticals’, such as transport, media and entertainment, and public safety;
– transversal activities in the areas of applications development, standardisation, resource management aspects, interoperability demonstration campaigns, and supporting technologies;
– outreach activities.

The next step will be for the signatories to consolidate the defining elements of the trial projects and transversal actions by the end of the year.

These efforts are in line with, and will build on, the existing initiatives of the European Commission (EC) on 5G and will seek complementarity with other European, national and international initiatives. The joint statement signed today advocates further convergence between European industry and institutions on 5G, which will also be reiterated at the ESA/European Space Policy Institute conference on ‘Space and Satcom for 5G: European Transport and Connected Mobility’, 27-28 June 2017.

See: https://artes.esa.int/space-and-satcom-5g

The joint statement was signed by Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications, and representatives from 16 satellite operators, service providers and manufacturers. The signing took place at the international Paris Air and Space Show in the presence of ESA Director General Jan Woerner.

“5G provides a major opportunity for our space industry, for space and satellites to become integral parts of the future generation of communications networks and services. The joint statement demonstrates that our key industrial stakeholders are ready to join forces in response to this industrial ambition. ESA is going to define a framework supporting industrial action and further strengthening and coordinating institutional support in Europe and in particular with the EC,” commented Mrs Vaissiere.

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member.

ESA has established formal cooperation with six Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with EUMETSAT for the development of meteorological missions.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in the Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications domain.

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int