Autonomous and Transparent Hybrid TN-NTN 6G Systems (INP Toulouse, ENSEEIHT, IRIT)

The objective of the project is to design and validate a hybrid terrestrial–non-terrestrial 5G/6G access architecture in which terrestrial base stations and LEO satellites autonomously coordinate over shared spectrum to provide seamless, transparent, and reliable Internet connectivity. Specifically, the project aims to jointly address cross-domain interference, high mobility, and dynamic resource allocation by developing analytical models and AI-driven, distributed control algorithms for beam scheduling, mobility management, and spectrum use, thereby enabling service continuity, efficient spectrum sharing, and scalable integration of satellite access as a mainstream component of future mobile networks.

AETHER-6G proposes the evolution of 5G NR and the introduction of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN NR) as a complementary solution to overcome the coverage limitations of terrestrial networks, particularly through LEO satellite systems integrated into the 5G architecture. It explains how satellite beams act as cells, highlights key architectural challenges such as inter- and cross-domain interference in shared spectrum, high mobility due to both user movement and satellite orbits, and the need for advanced control mechanisms. In response, the proposed framework envisions a hybrid TN–NTN architecture with shared spectrum, where terrestrial and satellite components autonomously coordinate to provide seamless connectivity. To achieve this, the project focuses on joint optimization of beam scheduling, mobility management, and resource allocation, leveraging analytical modeling, large-scale simulations, and AI-based techniques, notably multi-agent reinforcement learning and federated learning, with the long-term goal of enabling transparent, scalable, and sustainable satellite-integrated mobile networks toward 6G.