Handheld access and terrestrial-to-satellite handover
ETHER researched integrated terrestrial, aerial and satellite networks. Its handheld-access use case combines a prototype electronically steerable antenna with radio and network adaptations for transitions between terrestrial and satellite access. The consortium reported a hardware-in-the-loop handover demonstration at its March 2026 final showcase.
Handover has to coordinate the radio path, network state and useful service. The published laboratory setup couples a terrestrial access path and an emulated satellite path to the user equipment. Defined channel cases allow synchronisation, access-change events and session continuity to be examined together.
ELARA supported the initial handover experiments and preparation of the test environment for partner research. Its contribution provided controllable satellite-link conditions around the radio setup. The role described here concerns those initial tests and the evaluation environment.
| Condition | Observation | Engineering question |
|---|---|---|
| Satellite-link variation alongside the separately configured terrestrial access | UE/network access-change events | When and how does the implemented handover occur? |
| Delay/Doppler cases around the satellite radio path | Synchronisation and timing-compensation records | Can the radio implementation maintain the state needed for the transition? |
| Traffic during and after the access change | Application/session timestamps and delivery records | What happens to useful service through the handover? |
Horizon Europe / Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, grant 101096526.
Relevant demonstrator partners