End-to-end NR-NTN validation addresses mobility, handover, and alignment with Starlink’s deployment timeline

Keysight Technologies, Inc. will demonstrate lab-based validation of new radio non-terrestrial networks (NR-NTN) devices at Mobile World Congress 2026 in collaboration with Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business. The demonstration will showcase testing capabilities aligned with planned Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite deployments, including Starlink Direct to Cell.

As satellite connectivity becomes integral to 5G evolution and future 6G networks, chipset and device vendors must validate NR-NTN performance well in advance of large-scale deployment. Satellite systems in LEO introduce new challenges, including rapid motion, frequent handovers, dynamic link conditions, and stringent positioning requirements. Without access to live satellite networks during early development, organizations need accurate laboratory-based methods to assess mobility, service continuity, and throughput performance under realistic operating conditions in a laboratory.

Keysight’s NTN Network Emulator Solutions recreate LEO satellite characteristics in a controlled laboratory environment. The MWC demonstration integrates Keysight’s 5G Network Emulator with a Samsung NR-NTN modem to validate satellite and device mobility, service continuity, and higher-throughput Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) configurations under parameters aligned with Starlink deployment scenarios.

The demonstration also showcases Keysight’s positioning emulation capabilities, enhanced through its recent Spirent acquisition. PNT Xe enables accurate global navigation satellite system-based positioning as part of an end-to-end validation workflow.

Jungwon Lee, Executive Vice President of System LSI Modem Development Team at Samsung Electronics, said: “NR-NTN introduces new technical challenges for modem design, particularly around mobility, handover, and link adaptation in LEO environments. This demonstration with Keysight allows us to validate NR-NTN modem performance under representative satellite conditions, helping ensure readiness for future satellite-based 5G services.”

Peng Cao, Vice President and General Manager, Keysight’s Wireless Test Group, said: “Direct-to-device satellite connectivity is moving from concept to deployment, making early end-to-end NR-NTN validation essential. Our lab-based, live-application testing gives the ecosystem a repeatable way to prove interoperability and performance, cutting risk and time-to-market while keeping users connected beyond terrestrial coverage.”

Source: BUSINESS WIRE