Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS) is partnering with Radisys® Corporation to develop cloud native 5G-NTN (non-terrestrial network) solutions for satellite connectivity — these solutions will be available through Kratos OpenSpace® Platform, the only commercially available, fully software-defined, satellite ground system.
Radisys is a leading Radio Access Network (RAN) partner for telecom and mobile network operators around the world. Radisys and Kratos share a common vision for the future of connectivity to provide open standards-based solutions that interoperate seamlessly across terrestrial and space networks.
Together, Kratos and Radisys are developing a 5G-NTN satellite base station equivalent to a cellular base station but delivered completely as cloud native software. The ability to do satellite signal processing in software brings standards-based interoperability for quick orchestration of networks within a variety of elastic environments. Doing so better positions satellite operators and service providers to capture the $35 billion in revenue opportunities over the next decade recently identified by GSMA Intelligence at Mobile World Congress earlier this year.
5G NTN technology allows satellites to provide internet access to almost anywhere on Earth in much the same way 5G works across cellular towers today. Kratos’ and Radisys’ 5G-NTN solutions will enable tighter integration with terrestrial networks to deliver true 5G mobile broadband over satellites.
“Radisys is the ideal partner for Kratos in leading the satellite industry forward with 5G-NTN solutions,” said Greg Quiggle, SVP Product Management at Kratos. “Together, we are building a cloud native end-to-end 5G solution for non-terrestrial networks in the OpenSpace Platform. This new solution will enable open, highly scalable high-performance 5G service delivery through any 5G core network worldwide.”
“Our collaboration with Kratos on 5G-NTN solutions marks a significant milestone in the advancement of 5G non-terrestrial network technologies,” said Munish Chhabra, Head of Mobility Software and Services Business, Radisys. “This partnership will drive innovative applications, improve high-speed and ubiquitous global connectivity with seamless TN-NTN integration. Radisys’ unique value proposition of creating 5G-NTN RAN with ORAN disaggregated containerized architecture will help reduce the costs associated with non-terrestrial network communications and facilitate new NTN deployments and use cases.”
Carmel Ortiz, SVP of Technology and Innovation at Intelsat, said, “We are implementing Kratos’ OpenSpace Platform to support our next generation, multi-orbit network. This partnership between Kratos and Radisys gives us confidence that we will be able to offer our consumer, business and government customers best in class 5G services.”
About Kratos OpenSpace
Kratos’ OpenSpace family of solutions enables the digital transformation of satellite ground systems to become a more dynamic and powerful part of the space network. The family consists of three product lines: OpenSpace SpectralNet for converting satellite RF signals to be used in digital environments; OpenSpace quantum products, which are virtual versions of traditional hardware components; and the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully orchestrated, software-defined ground system. These three OpenSpace lines enable satellite operators and other service providers to implement digital operations at their own pace and in ways that meet their unique mission goals and business models.
