Futuristic Satellite Scenarios in 6G

With the deployment of 5G, the research and industrial communities have moved their attention to the design and standardisation of the future generation networks i.e. 6G. Among the various requirements, 6G envisions the seamless integration of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) and terrestrial network in a unique infrastructure to ensure connectivity anytime anywhere. This means the provisioning of Radio Access Network (RAN) and edge-core resources via so-called 3D networks. The concept of virtualisation of RAN baseband processing and its functional split can be pivotal to increase the lifetime of mobile base stations hosted by Unmanned Aerial Vechiles (UAVs). In this context, an additional aspect is the seamless integration of localisation and sensing, in line with the joint communication and sensing that 6G is strongly envisioning. This chapter tries to give the reader an explanation of these concepts and their importance in the future of 3D networks.