5G-EMERGE Phase 2 Test Beds — Reference

Source: TVR v2.3 §3–§7

This document describes all test beds 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 test beds cover four use case classes:

The mapping of service scenarios to test beds is defined in TVR §2.8, Table 1.

Strand 2 — Cross-Edge Infrastructure

Strand 2 components (WP2.2, WP2.4, WP2.5) are validated first in a dedicated cross-partner lab testbed before integration into strand-specific test beds.

WP2.5 Distributed Lab Testbed

Partners: Nextworks (NXW), RomARS, M.B.I. S.r.l. (MBI), HPE Italiana
Location: Distributed across four labs in Italy, interconnected via VPN (VPN server at RomARS)
TVR Reference: TVR §7.3.2

Each lab hosts a distinct domain of the WP2.5 system architecture:

Following the MS2 review, the near-edge data network is connected to the HNR (Humans not Robots) testbed to provide the shared video source used across 5G-EMERGE test beds.

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

Partner: SES
Use Case: Direct to Home
Satellite segment: SES GEO (ASTRA), receive-only
Terrestrial IP: Available
TVR Reference: TVR §3.1.1, §3.2.1
E2E Scenarios: 1 (Linear / terrestrial available), 2 (VoD / terrestrial available)

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

Planned E2E performance tests (TVR App.1 Scenarios): M (startup times), P (buffering frequency), R (resolution switches), A.2 (downtime)

EBU DTH Testbed

Partner: EBU (European Broadcasting Union)
Use Case: Direct to Home
Satellite segment: Eutelsat bidirectional
Terrestrial IP: Not available (satellite is primary return path)
TVR Reference: TVR §3.1.2, §3.2.2
E2E Scenarios: 3 (Linear / no terrestrial), 4 (VoD / no terrestrial)

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:

• Egatel fixed rooftop dish — 75 cm
• Technisat fixed small rooftop dish — 33 cm
• MinWave portable phased-array antenna with foldable reflector

Telemetry: OpenTelemetry Platform; user data recorded in PEACH (subject to FTA Player App publishing relevant data)

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

Planned E2E performance tests (TVR App.1 Scenarios): M, P, R, A.2

Strand 4 — Direct to Vehicle (DTV)

Viasat DTV Testbed

Partner: Viasat
Use Case: Direct to Vehicle
Satellite segment: SES ASTRA GEO bidirectional
Terrestrial IP: Available
TVR Reference: TVR §4.1
E2E Scenarios: 5 (Linear, terrestrial + sat), 6 (VoD, terrestrial + sat)

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

Partner: LINKS Foundation (Turin)
Use Case: Direct to Vehicle
Satellite segment: Eutelsat GEO Ku-band, receive-only (no return channel)
Terrestrial IP: Not available
TVR Reference: TVR §4.2
E2E Scenarios: 7 (Linear, no terrestrial, no return link)

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

Partner: EBU
Use Case: Direct to Edge
Satellite segment: Space Norway (SES receive-only)
Terrestrial IP: Available
TVR Reference: TVR §5.1
E2E Scenarios: 8 (Linear, terrestrial available), 9 (VoD, terrestrial available)

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

Partner: Arctic Space Technologies
Use Case: Direct to Edge
Satellite segment: Space Norway THOR-7 GEO (teleport: Nittedal, Norway → far-edge: Piteå, Sweden); Eutelsat LEO bidirectional
Terrestrial IP: Available
TVR Reference: TVR §5.2
E2E Scenarios: 8, 9 (GEO receive-only), 10, 11 (LEO bidirectional)
5G network partner: Luleå Technical University

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

Key tests:

• API integration test — FENIX API calls for content distribution (key integration with Varnish)
• GEO satellite transmission test — THOR-7 multicast, throughput measurement and capacity limits
• 5G connectivity test — device connection through 5G AP to far-edge content; K6 load testing for concurrent user simulation
• E2E test — HLS and VOD content reliably transmitted over satellite and served over 5G without playback interruption

Associated KPIs (TVR App.1): Throughput (Mbps), Latency (ms), TTFB, TTLB

TVR Scenarios assigned: B (watch time / quality), E (session / continuity), G (completion / resilience), I (wasted resources), J (abandonment), V (load / failure rates), A.2 (downtime)

Maritime Testbed (Telenor Maritime)

Partner: Telenor Maritime
Use Case: Direct to Edge — Maritime
Satellite segment: Space Norway, receive-only
Terrestrial IP: Not available
TVR Reference: TVR §5.3
E2E Scenarios: 12 (Linear, no terrestrial), 13 (VoD, no terrestrial)
Player: QStream (Android only as of writing; iPhone not yet supported)
Edge component: FTA far-edge gateway (mABR statistics collection)

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 (TVR scenario mapping):

• Scenario M (partial): HTTP manifest-to-first-segment latency at Edge Gateway
• Scenario O (partial): MABR segment downloads >80% duration as congestion indicator
• Scenario P (partial): HTTP request gaps >1.3× segment duration as stall indicator
• Scenario T (partial): Origin server issues via MABR error messages
• Scenario V (partial): Edge Gateway 404 rate increase under 10–20 concurrent 5G users
• Scenario W (partial): 404 errors as failed request count proxy
• Scenario A.2 (partial): Service availability monitoring through error logs

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

Partner: RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana)
Use Case: Direct to Edge (5G Broadcast)
Satellite segment: SES receive-only
Terrestrial IP: Not available
TVR Reference: TVR §5.4
E2E Scenarios: 14 (Linear, no terrestrial)

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)

Keysight Functionality Testbed (WP 6.3 — DTD Technology Development)

Partner: MediaTek / Keysight
Use Case: Direct to Device
Satellite segment: Bidirectional
Terrestrial IP: Available
TVR Reference: TVR §6.2
E2E Scenarios: 15 (Linear), 16 (VoD)

Component-level and functional testing of DTD chipset and protocol stack in a controlled lab environment.

Keysight Performance Testbed (WP 6.4.2 — System Emulator)

Partner: Keysight
Use Case: Direct to Device
TVR Reference: TVR §6.3

System emulator testbed for performance characterisation of DTD receiver chipset under controlled emulated channel conditions.

Verkotan OTA Testbed (WP 6.4.3 — OTA Testing)

Partner: Verkotan
Use Case: Direct to Device
TVR Reference: TVR §6.4

Over-the-air (OTA) testbed for radiated performance measurements of DTD terminals in an anechoic chamber environment.

Core Network Testbed (WP 6.3.11 — MBS Core Support)

Use Case: Direct to Device
TVR Reference: TVR §6.5

Core network testbed validating support for mandatory R17 features for Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS) within the 5G core network.

DTD End-to-End Testbed (WP 6.4.4)

Use Case: Direct to Device
TVR Reference: TVR §6.6

Full end-to-end DTD testbed integrating satellite reception, 5G NR broadcast air interface, and DTD terminal in a realistic deployment scenario.

Test Bed × E2E Scenario Cross-Reference

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

Note: RAI runs scenarios across multiple test bed deployments. The maritime test bed uses proxy measurements for all scenarios due to limited player-side telemetry on non-Android devices.

Satellite Segment Summary

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