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5G traffic expectations require not only the appropriate access infrastructure, but also the corresponding backhaul infrastructure to ensure a well-balanced network scaling. Optical fibre and terrestrial wireless backhaul will hardly meet 100% coverage and satellite must be considered within the 5G infrastructure to boost ubiquitous and reliable network utilization. This work presents the main outcomes of SANSA project, which proposes a novel solution that overcomes the limitations of the traditional fixed backhaul. It is based on a dynamic integrated satelliteterrestrial backhaul network operating on the mm-wave band. Its key principles are a seamless integration of the satellite segment into terrestrial backhaul networks; a terrestrial wireless network capable of reconfiguring its topology according to traffic demands; and an aggressive frequency reuse within the terrestrial segment and between terrestrial and satellite segments. The two technological enablers of SANSA are smart antenna techniques at mm-wave and a software defined intelligent hybrid network management. This article introduces these 5G enablers, which permit satellite communications to play a key role in different 5G use cases, from the early deployment of 5G services in sparse scenarios to enhanced mobile broadband in denser scenarios.

Peer Reviewed