Towards the Convergence of TN and NTN in 6G and D2D: the Vision and Roadmap of the European Space Agency

The presentation will address the efforts of ESA in supporting the role of satellites in the convergence of the terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks in the 3GPP family of standards starting in 5G and culminating in 6G. A fundamental element of this convergence is manifested in Direct-to-Device (D2D), the holy grail of satellite communications, whereby satellites connect directly to consumer daily-use devices. This is a fundamental step for the digitalization of many mobility businesses and will fuel the development from connected to autonomous mobility by road, rail, sea and air. Longer-term evolutions supported by ESA towards the Internet of the Solar System (ISS) and the Internet of the Quantum Things (IoQT) will also be presented