Testbeds

Source: TVR v2.3 §3–§7

This document describes all testbeds active in Phase 2 of the 5G-EMERGE project. Test beds are organised by strand (use case class), with cross-strand infrastructure listed separately.

Overview

Phase 2 testbeds span four use case classes (DTH, DTV, DTE, DTD) plus the Strand 2 cross-infrastructure platform. The mapping of service scenarios to testbeds is defined in TVR §2.8, Table 1.

Testbed × E2E Scenario Cross-Reference

The following table maps testbeds to TVR §2.9.6 Table 3 (Strand 2) performable E2E scenarios. "✓" indicates the scenario is assigned to that testbed; "(p)" indicates a partial/proxy measurement.

Note: RAI runs scenarios across multiple testbed deployments. The maritime testbed uses proxy measurements for all scenarios due to limited player-side telemetry on non-Android devices. Struck-through entries (E, G, O, W) are no longer supported by any testbed following the STM update of April 2026.

Satellite Segment Summary

Strand 2 — Cross-Edge Infrastructure

Strand 2 comprises the HNR-owned cross-infrastructure platform (WP 2.1) and a distributed cross-partner lab testbed (WP 2.5). WP 2.1 components are shared across all strand-specific testbeds; WP 2.5 validates the integration of those components before deployment.

WP 2.1 HNR Testbed

The HNR testbed is the primary Strand 2 platform. Its components are deployed as shared infrastructure across all 5G-EMERGE testbeds; the testbed itself hosts the cloud and on-premise services that sit behind the transmission hop in every strand.

HNR-internal tests not covered by the named scenario cards (Strand 2 supplementary rows 46–47 in GTL):

• k6 Spike Test — rapid ramp to 1,000 RPS and recovery; KVI: Resilience
• VOD Ingest — S3 source file validation pre-encoding; KVI: Quality; testbed: AWS / HNR

WP 2.5 Distributed Lab Testbed

Each lab hosts a distinct domain of the WP 2.5 system architecture:

Following the MS2 review, the near-edge data network is connected to the HNR testbed to provide the shared video source used across 5G-EMERGE testbeds.

Key capabilities tested: Service lifecycle management, 5G Core + RAN integration (3GPP and non-3GPP access), multicast delivery, QoD-driven broadband switching, satellite KPI monitoring, E2E media streaming.

Strand 3 — Direct to Home (DTH)

SES DTH Testbed

The SES DTH testbed validates satellite-extended home streaming services where adequate terrestrial internet exists but satellite extends the footprint. Content from a RAI server passes through the full 5G-EMERGE signal chain to consumer UEs.

Phase 2 additions vs Phase 1:

• Player replaced with FTA or HNR player (replacing NAGRA)
• MinWave prototype flat-panel receive-only antenna added
• CMAF transcoder for re-encoding content from RAI or SES sources
• GMOP (Global Mission Operational Platform) for broadcaster service requests
• OpenTelemetry telemetry collection at every step of the chain

EBU DTH Testbed

The EBU DTH testbed demonstrates bidirectional satellite home delivery where no terrestrial broadband is available. The receiver can operate with or without terrestrial connectivity.

Antennas used:

Phase 2 additions vs Phase 1:

• MinWave portable foldable antenna integration
• 5G-Orchestrated Multigateway solution (Nextworks)
• Shared telemetry solution (co-developed with SES)
• Playout solution and recommendation system integration

Strand 4 — Direct to Vehicle (DTV)

Viasat DTV Testbed

Viasat's testbed evaluates satellite streaming to a bus-mounted antenna, testing pointing and tracking under vehicle motion. The return link uses two MBI solutions (narrowband and broadband) to assess bandwidth versatility.

Key tests: Bi-directional GEO link performance (on-demand and linear); antenna pointing and tracking on a moving bus; MBI narrowband vs broadband return link comparison.

LINKS Turin DTV Testbed

LINKS' 2D-scan hybrid antenna (fabricated Phase 1, finalised Phase 2) is mounted on a vehicle in Turin. Testing progresses from static antenna verification through moving-vehicle tracking to full mobile media delivery with content redistributed to passengers via Wi-Fi / 5G-N3IWF.

Key tests: Static antenna connection verification; moving vehicle tracking; mobile media reception and redistribution to passenger devices.

Strand 5 — Direct to Edge (DTE)

EBU DTE Testbed

The EBU DTE testbed is focused on 5G Media Streaming (unicast) and 5G MBS (Multicast/Broadcast Services) over satellite-extended edge infrastructure.

5G Media Streaming (Unicast) tests:

• Functional E2E: reception on client and mobile FTA App
• Performance E2E: startup times (Scenario M), buffering frequency (P), resolution switches (R), downtime (A.2)
• Publishing user data following 5G-MAG specifications (FTA Player App)

5G MBS tests: Component functional tests (MBSTF, MB-UPF, MB-SMF, AF/AS with MBSTF, gNB MBS signal, UE); subject to availability of external 5G NR MBS components.

Arctic Space DTE Testbed

Arctic Space tests FENIX-protocol satellite file transmission over GEO, integrated with a Varnish caching solution and a local 5G network.

Maritime Testbed (Telenor Maritime)

The maritime testbed operates on a vessel with 5G small cells, satellite backhaul via Space Norway, and ETSI OSM / Magma core / RAN integration. All infrastructure monitoring tests are proxy-based — no direct player-side measurement unless QStream publishes relevant data.

Infrastructure monitoring tests:

5G network tests (vessel-specific): Bandwidth stress testing (10–20 users, video streams + Teams calls); small cell signal coverage mapping across vessel decks; 5G handover testing as users move between cells.

5G core/RAN integration tests: ETSI OSM deployment timing; Magma Access Gateway and Orchestrator; full 5G core; 5G throughput and latency.

RAI 5G Broadcast Testbed

The RAI 5G Broadcast testbed integrates 5G broadcast with the satellite content delivery chain, featuring the M1 Adapter Block and related broadcast components. Test plan is a combination of component and E2E tests.

Strand 6 — Direct to Device (DTD)

See also E2E Scenarios and Framework §6 — KVIs and KPIs.