Why Open RAN in NTN Can Be a Game Changer

The integration of Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) is revolutionizing global connectivity. Combining Open RAN’s open, flexible, and AI-driven architecture with NTN’s satellite and aerial systems unlocks new possibilities for providing seamless and efficient communication. This synergy is especially impactful in NTN architectures featuring regenerative payloads, where satellites process parts of the protocol stack onboard. It is also bringing value to transparent payloads, where ground-based split can be done as per customer latency requirements.
Before we delve into the technical benefits of Open RAN in enhancing NTN deployments, it is crucial to understand the market forces driving this technological convergence – and the role of industry leaders like Mavenir in shaping its future.
Market Drivers for NTN
The Non-Terrestrial Network market is witnessing rapid growth, driven by several key factors:
The MNO Business Case: Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are constantly seeking new revenue streams and competitive advantages. NTN allows them to extend coverage to underserved areas, including remote regions, maritime environments and in-flight connectivity, unlocking new markets and customer segments. This expansion also enhances network resilience and disaster recovery capabilities, crucial for maintaining service continuity in challenging situations. Some of those partnerships are emerging through T-Mobile, Telstra with SpaceX, AT&T and AST Space Mobile, BSNL and Viasat etc.
Regulatory Mandates: Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are increasingly focused on bridging the digital divide and ensuring ubiquitous connectivity. This often translates into mandates requiring MNOs to provide coverage across their licensed spectrum, even in geographically challenging areas where terrestrial infrastructure is difficult or impossible to deploy. NTN offers a viable solution to fulfill these coverage obligations.
Advancements in User Equipment (UE) and Chipsets: The evolution of 3GPP standards (e.g., Releases 17-18) has enabled seamless integration of NTN with terrestrial networks. Modern UEs (Smartphones) now support NTN capabilities, allowing for emergency services, IoT applications and global roaming without significant device cost implications for end users.
So how is Open RAN transforming NTN and why this combination is poised to be a game changer for next-generation networks?
Open RAN: A Perfect Fit for NTN
Open RAN’s modular design and open interfaces make it ideal for addressing NTN’s challenges, including high latencies, limited resources and complex integration. This approach also aligns well with regenerative payload architectures, making networks more efficient and scalable.
Let’s explore the specific benefits Open RAN brings to NTN.

Here’s how Open RAN enhances NTN:
1. Flexibility Through Functional Disaggregation
Open RAN disaggregates traditionally monolithic network components into modular elements, enabling greater flexibility for NTN deployments, particularly in regenerative payload architectures.
- Regenerative Payload Alignment: Regenerative payloads process data onboard satellites rather than simply relaying it. Open RAN’s disaggregated architecture enables operators to split network functions between satellite-based components (e.g., DU/RU) and ground-based infrastructure (e.g., CU) based on specific needs.
- Functional Split Options: With disaggregated architecture supports flexible functional splits, such as Option 2, Option 6 and Option 7.2, allowing operators to optimize resource allocation between satellites and ground stations dynamically.
This disaggregation ensures that NTN systems can adapt to changing requirements, improving performance and efficiency.
2. Reliable Delivery of F1 Interface PDUs
Maintaining reliable delivery of F1 Interface (Connectivity between O-DU and O-CU) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) is a significant challenge in NTN, especially with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Frequent handovers between satellites and ground stations can cause disruptions.
An Open RAN based architecture can potentially address this issue by using the near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (near-RT RIC) to:
- Predict link availability and proactively reroute F1 packets during handovers.
- Dynamically orchestrate reliable network paths across ground gateways and inter-satellite links.
This capability ensures seamless communication, even in dynamic NTN environments, enhancing service reliability and user experience.
3. AI-Driven Functional Split Optimization
Open RAN’s flexibility allows operators to dynamically adjust the functional split between network components based on real-time demands. For NTN with regenerative payloads, this optimization is crucial:
- Power Efficiency: By shifting compute-heavy tasks to ground-based CUs, satellites conserve energy, which is a critical resource in space.
- Latency Management: Placing latency-sensitive functions onboard satellites minimizes delays for applications requiring real-time communication.
- Leveraging Ground-Based CUs for Seamless UE Context Retention in Dynamic Satellite Environments: As LEO satellites keep moving, keeping the CU at ground can help retain the context for the UEs in each geographical cell even when satellites keep changing.
4. Mavenir RIC
The near-RT RIC leverages AI and real-time data to analyze traffic patterns, satellite power availability (In Planning), and link performance, ensuring the optimal functional split and other use cases.
Mavenir’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) offers programmable control of RAN and addresses the shortfalls of various self-organizing network (SON) architecture. RIC helps communications service providers (CSPs) achieve granular, real-time control of RAN for efficient operations, automate service level agreement (SLA) management, and offer differentiated services such as enhanced quality of experience. Compliant with O-RAN Alliance specifications, Mavenir’s RIC can control legacy RAN for SON use cases as RIC applications, helping CSPs achieve converged intelligent RAN management.
Mavenir’s RIC is distributed, cloud-native, and supports Open RAN interfaces and legacy RAN connectors for converged RAN management. It supports applications using open APIs on top of the analytics framework, which enables data collection and enrichment capabilities and machine learning (ML) model libraries. The RIC uses various ML models such as anomaly detection, time series prediction, clustering, and Bayesian optimization to enable numerous RAN control use cases.

5. Seamless Interoperability Through Open Interfaces
Open RAN introduces several open interfaces that ensure compatibility and interoperability across multi-vendor environments. These include:
- E2 Interface: Connects the near-RT RIC to network elements like DU and CU, enabling real-time optimization and control.
- A1 Interface: Allows the non-RT RIC to provide policy guidance and AI model updates to the near-RT RIC.
- O1 Interface: Supports lifecycle management of Open RAN components, including performance monitoring and updates.
- Open Fronthaul (FH) Interface: Links DU and RU, ensuring seamless integration across vendors.

For NTN, these interfaces facilitate:
- Integration of regenerative payloads with terrestrial and satellite systems.
- Avoidance of vendor lock-in, enabling operators to use best-in-class solutions while reducing costs.
6. Wide-Scale Radio Resource Management (RRM)
Efficiently managing radio resources in NTN is challenging due to dynamic conditions like satellite movement and varying user demand. Open RAN’s RIC can help empower wide-scale RRM by:
- Beamforming and Beam Hopping Optimization: Adjusting satellite beams dynamically to meet user demand and traffic patterns.
- Spectrum Efficiency: Allocating spectrum resources based on real-time data from E2 interfaces.
- Intelligent Beam selection to Minimize Interference: Limited satellite power makes illuminating all beams impractical. Intelligent beam selection per Slot or TTI can minimize inter-beam interference, given the larger overlaps in satellite systems compared to terrestrial networks.
By leveraging AI, the RIC enables NTN systems to make data-driven decisions, ensuring optimal resource utilization and consistent service quality.
7. Enhanced Efficiency for Regenerative Payloads
Regenerative payloads onboard satellites are limited by power and computational constraints. Open RAN enhances these architectures by:
- Dynamic Resource Optimization: AI-driven RICs ensure energy and computational resources are used efficiently.
- Seamless TN-NTN Integration: Open interfaces enable regenerative payloads to work seamlessly with terrestrial networks, supporting dynamic TN-NTN handovers and enhanced service delivery.
- Geo-Based Frequency Management: Helps operators dynamically choose transmission frequency based on available spectrum assets in specific locations.
This combination ensures regenerative payloads operate effectively within NTN systems, maximizing their potential while minimizing resource consumption.
8. Real-World Benefits of Open RAN in NTN
The integration of Open RAN and NTN delivers several tangible advantages:
- Global Coverage: Open RAN’s flexibility, combined with NTN’s wide reach, bridges the digital divide by connecting underserved and remote areas.
- Cost Efficiency: Open interfaces reduce reliance on proprietary hardware, lowering deployment and maintenance costs.
- Innovation-Driven Growth: Open RAN fosters collaboration across vendors and stakeholders, accelerating advancements in NTN.
- Optimized Performance: AI-driven RICs dynamically manage resources, improving network efficiency and user experience.
- Seamless Integration: Open interfaces ensure smooth interworking between terrestrial and satellite systems, providing consistent connectivity.
9. Challenges to Overcome
While Open RAN and NTN offer transformative potential, certain challenges remain:
- Latency: Satellite systems face inherent delays that require advanced optimization to maintain performance.
- Standardization: Global alignment on protocols and interfaces is essential for consistent TN-NTN integration.
- Security: Open interfaces must be safeguarded to protect critical network infrastructure.
Proven Open and Interoperable Open RAN Ecosystem:
As a strong contender for open and disaggregated networks, Mavenir has been at the forefront of NTN innovation and deployment, demonstrating its commitment to pushing the boundaries of connectivity. Mavenir has announced a collaboration with Terrestar, Canada’s premier mobile satellite operator, a partnership that has successfully conducted the first NB-IoT live data sessions via the TSI EchoStar T1 satellite, a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) Non-Terrestrial Network. This groundbreaking achievement showcases Mavenir’s ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions that enable seamless integration of satellite and terrestrial networks, extending the reach of IoT connectivity to previously unreachable areas.
Conclusion
Open RAN and NTN together represent a paradigm shift in how networks are designed, deployed and managed. Open RAN’s disaggregation, open interfaces, inter-vendor operability and AI-driven intelligence perfectly complement NTN’s ability to deliver connectivity in remote and underserved regions.
By addressing challenges like reliable PDU delivery, functional split optimization and resource management, Open RAN enhances NTN’s efficiency, scalability and performance. The integration of Open RAN with regenerative payloads further amplifies these benefits, making satellite-based networks smarter, more efficient and future-ready.
As we move toward 3GPP Release 19, which emphasizes tighter Terrestrial/Non-Terrestrial Network integration, Open RAN and NTN will play a pivotal role in creating a more inclusive, accessible, and connected world. This combination isn’t just about solving current challenges—it’s about shaping the future of global communication, ensuring no one is left behind.
With Open RAN and NTN working together, the possibilities for seamless, borderless connectivity are endless.
*This blog is co-authored by Suman Chandra Sharma, Senior Director of Product Management; and Praneeth Akinapalli, Senior Product Manager, Mavenir.