[SEMINAR] Non-Terrestrial Networks: from 5G integration to 6G unification (Alessandro Guidotti)

SpeakerAlessandro Guidotti — Associate Professor at the University of Bologna

Location: Classroom A1.2 of Alan Turing building (Coppito 0)

Date: Friday, December 199:00–10:30

TitleNon-Terrestrial Networks: from 5G integration to 6G unification

Abstract: Following their inclusion in the 5G architecture defined by the 3GPP Release 17 and the announcement of several related commercial initiatives, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) have emerged from their traditional niche to become a fundamental topic of connectivity for the global academic and industry communities. While the initial inclusion of NTNs in the global 5G architecture was primarily aimed at minimizing the impact of the necessary air interface adaptation for the satellite environment, and 5G-Advanced has focused on the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, the evolution toward 6G aims for their native inclusion for delivering enhanced performance for the identified key use cases. In this seminar, we will first explore the main drivers behind the inclusion of the NTN component in 3GPP 5G. Then, recalling the main characteristics of satellite communications, the adaptations to include NTN in 5G will be discussed in terms of architectures, services, and the Radio Access Network. Finally, we will discuss the trends, innovations, and challenges that are driving the definition of a natively integrated NTN component in 6G systems.

Bio: Alessandro Guidotti received the master’s degree (magna cum laude) in Telecommunications Engineering and the Ph.D. degree in Electronics, Computer Science, and Telecommunications from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 2008 and 2012, respectively. From 2009 to 2011, he represented the Italian Administration within CEPT SE43. From 2014 to 2021, he was a Research Associate with the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, “Guglielmo Marconi,” University of Bologna. From 2021 to 2025, he was a Senior Researcher with the National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT). Since October 2025, he has been an Associate Professor at the University of Bologna. He is currently the Chairman of the Networld Europe NTN Working Group and the CNIT representative in the ESA NTN Forum. He is active in national and international research projects on wireless and satellite communication systems in several ESA and EC-funded projects. He has been serving as TPC and Publication Co-Chair at the ASMS/SPSC Conference since 2018. He is a member of the IEEE AESS “Glue Technologies for Space Systems” Technical Panel. His research areas include wireless communication systems and Non-Terrestrial Networks, with a focus on system architecture, standardization and regulation, digital beamforming and interference management, 5G/6G, and AI applications.

PhD ICT Bot 🤖 (Experimental don't trust me 😉)