Celeste Technologies Complete Successful 5G NR-NTN Interoperability Tests with Sateliot’s D2D Constellation Payload
Celeste Technologies announced the successful completion of a 5G NR-NTN interoperability test campaign at the Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. laboratories in Lannion, France, marking a significant milestone with Sateliot’s Payload for the sovereign European low-Earth orbit (LEO) direct-to-device (D2D) constellation.
Successful NTN Interoperability Campaign
The joint campaign focused on 3GPP Release 17 Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), validating end-to-end interoperability between Celeste’s SmartgNB and a mobile test device powered by Qualcomm® 5G Modem-RF. Tests were executed using Celeste’s fully software-based SmartgNB running on a multi-core SoC platform, without hardware acceleration, in combination with a Keysight Propsim channel emulator and a Mobile Test Platform (MTP) from Qualcomm Technologies.
The trials successfully covered GEO and LEO scenarios, both transparent and regenerative payload profiles, demonstrating that Celeste’s gNB can interoperate with Qualcomm Technologies’ NTN-capable device stack under realistic satellite conditions. The tests successfully achieved end-to-end traffic between the SmartgNB and the MTP, validating complete protocol stack functionality. This activity took place within Sateliot’s broader initiative to develop a European LEO constellation for 5G NR-NTN D2D services in S-band.
Celeste SmartgNB for Regenerative Satellites
Celeste’s SmartgNB is a fully softwarized, 3GPP Release 17–compliant gNB protocol stack designed for regenerative satellite payloads and on-board processing. The solution runs entirely in software from Layer 1 to Layer 3, with CU/DU splits and platform independence across x86, ARM, and RISC-V CPU architectures.
By demonstrating efficient operation on an SoC without hardware accelerators, the test campaign confirms the suitability of SmartgNB for integration into next-generation regenerative payloads and multi-operator LEO constellations.
Sateliot’s LEO 5G NR-NTN Constellation Vision
Sateliot is deploying a LEO-based 5G NR-NTN payload in S-band, the corresponding space platform and the software ground segment, designed to provide reliable, continuous coverage and low-latency connectivity for IoT and D2D communication scenarios. This new 5G NR-NTN constellation will complement Sateliot’s existing NB-IoT NTN service, adding capabilities tailored to automotive, civil security, and defense use cases where 5G NR is the appropriate radio interface.
With an always-on, fully connected constellation including inter-satellite links and a proprietary ground-station network, Sateliot aims to be a key European player for discretionary services and sovereignty in security and defense communications.
