In the event of emergencies caused by natural disasters, terrorist attacks or war, the regular telecommunications infrastructure (wireless and wired) may immediately collapse, leaving affected areas disconnected. In such a situation, connectivity must be restored promptly to enable the initial, vital rescue intervention and to allow injured individuals to communicate in the aftermath. This paper describes a concrete solution implemented to realize a resilient ad hoc network infrastructure that creates a bubble of connectivity on-the-fly. The solution is based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying as a payload a 5G Core Network (CN) system. The proposed solution has been developed as a Proof of Concept (PoC) of the Integrated Terrestrial Non-Terrestrial Network (ITA-NTN) project funded by the European Union in the framework of the RESTART work programme. Our paper will describe the PoC in detail, along with the technical solutions which have been proposed for the efficient system implementation. Some selected results obtained by the PoC demonstration will be finally presented and discussed.
Connectivity On-the-Fly: A Proof of Concept of Resilient Aerial Networking / Morosi, S., Brasca, F.G., Virone, B., Paonessa, F., Riviello, D.G., Berton, A., Scarabottolo, E., Gianesin, M., Rago, A., Piro, G., Fascista, A., Grieco, A.L., Matera, F., Sacchi, C.. - ELETTRONICO. - (2026), pp. 792-796. (IEEE MetroAeroSpace Madrid, Spagna 1-3 Luglio 2026) [10.1109/MetroAeroSpace69299.2026.11646813].
Connectivity On-the-Fly: A Proof of Concept of Resilient Aerial Networking
Morosi S.
;Sacchi C.
2026-01-01
Abstract
In the event of emergencies caused by natural disasters, terrorist attacks or war, the regular telecommunications infrastructure (wireless and wired) may immediately collapse, leaving affected areas disconnected. In such a situation, connectivity must be restored promptly to enable the initial, vital rescue intervention and to allow injured individuals to communicate in the aftermath. This paper describes a concrete solution implemented to realize a resilient ad hoc network infrastructure that creates a bubble of connectivity on-the-fly. The solution is based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying as a payload a 5G Core Network (CN) system. The proposed solution has been developed as a Proof of Concept (PoC) of the Integrated Terrestrial Non-Terrestrial Network (ITA-NTN) project funded by the European Union in the framework of the RESTART work programme. Our paper will describe the PoC in detail, along with the technical solutions which have been proposed for the efficient system implementation. Some selected results obtained by the PoC demonstration will be finally presented and discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione
