Performance evaluation of different 5G NB-IoT satellite systems

Abstract

The Narrowband Internet Of Things, better known by the acronym NB- IoT, is spearheading 3GPP's effort to address the massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) segment of 5G. With 103 deployments in more than 40 countries, NBIoT's performance in terms of cell capacity, battery life and coverage are well established in the terrestrial world. Recognizing the capability of satellite systems to offer wide coverage and enable cross-countries deployment, 3GPP is considering 5G technologies to support Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). However, the performance of NB-IoT has to be re-evaluated in a satellite context, especially because there are so many different systems. In this paper, we consider the necessary adaptations to the NB-IoT mechanisms to support the satellite context and we assess its performance for different satellite systems, focusing on the capacity and the energy consumption. Finally, we compare the systems in terms of power and cost efficiency, taking into account a wide range of system metrics such as service lifetime and usage ratio.