Yesway Communications
NTN Training
NTN Training — Non-Terrestrial Networks for Engineers
Specialist training in 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Networks — covering Release 17 through 20, direct-to-device satellite, LEO constellation architecture, spectrum coordination, and AI-native radio. Designed for engineers, technical managers and organisations navigating the convergence of satellite and cellular systems.
NTN is no longer emerging technology. It is operational infrastructure.
3GPP Release 17 standardised Non-Terrestrial Networks in 2022. AST SpaceMobile launched commercial direct-to-device service in 2025. Virgin Media O2 partnered with Starlink. Release 19 froze with regenerative payloads — satellites operating as base stations in space — as the headline NTN feature. Release 20 6G work has NTN-terrestrial band sharing explicitly on the agenda. Engineers who understand NTN architecture, standards fluency and spectrum implications are in short supply and high demand. This is the window to build that expertise.
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What NTN actually means for engineers
Non-Terrestrial Network is the 3GPP term for communication infrastructure that operates above the ground — satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO), plus High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) operating in the stratosphere at around 20km altitude.
What makes NTN significant for engineers right now is not the existence of satellite communications — that is decades old. What is significant is the standardisation of NTN within the 3GPP cellular framework. For the first time, satellite connectivity is being integrated into the same standards stack as 4G and 5G terrestrial networks — meaning the same protocols, the same device chipsets, and the same network management frameworks apply across both terrestrial and non-terrestrial domains.
That convergence has profound implications for network design, spectrum planning, device certification, interference management, and systems integration. Engineers who understand both the satellite systems layer and the cellular standards layer — and crucially, where they interact and where they conflict — are operating in a space where very few people currently have genuine fluency.
3GPP Release 17–20 — what each release means in practice
Understanding the 3GPP release timeline is foundational to NTN literacy. Each release builds on the last — and understanding what was introduced when, and why, is the difference between being able to read a spec and being able to apply it.
5G NR baseline — NTN as study item only
The initial 5G New Radio standard established the terrestrial framework. NTN integration was studied but not specified. Key reference documents: TR 38.811 (NTN channel model study) and TR 22.865 (NTN services requirements). Understanding these study items reveals why Release 17 made the architectural choices it did.
NTN formally standardised — the foundation release
First release to specify NTN integration with 5G NR. Defined how LEO and GEO satellites integrate with the 5G air interface. Introduced timing advance adaptations for satellite propagation delay, Doppler pre-compensation, and the transparent vs regenerative payload distinction. Key specs: TS 38.821, TS 38.300, TS 38.331 NTN extensions.
NTN enhanced — IoT, RedCap and mobility improvements
Extended NTN to NB-IoT and LTE-M over satellite — enabling low-cost IoT devices to use satellite connectivity without modification. Introduced Reduced Capability (RedCap) device classes for NTN. Improved handover between LEO satellites and between satellite and terrestrial cells. Critical for understanding IoT satellite deployments and hybrid network design.
Regenerative payloads — satellites as base stations in space
Headline feature: regenerative payload standardisation — where the satellite itself processes the baseband signal rather than simply relaying it to a ground station. This fundamentally changes the ground segment architecture and latency profile. Also introduced enhanced NTN-terrestrial handover and inter-satellite link coordination. Frozen end of 2025.
6G foundations — NTN-TN band sharing on the agenda
6G study work underway. NTN-terrestrial band sharing is explicitly on the Release 20 agenda — meaning satellite and terrestrial networks sharing the same spectrum bands with dynamic coordination. AI-native RAN features being developed in parallel through the O-RAN Alliance and AI-RAN Alliance. This is where NTN and AI-native radio converge.
Yesway NTN training covers all four release generations in context — not as isolated specs, but as an evolving architecture that makes sense when you understand the engineering decisions behind each release. The goal is standards fluency, not standards memorisation.
NTN training courses available
Yesway offers NTN training across three levels — from executive awareness through to deep technical standards fluency for RF engineers and systems integrators. All courses are available as remote delivery via Zoom, or as in-person delivery across the UK.
NTN Awareness for Technical Managers
What NTN is, what it isn’t, and what the convergence of satellite and cellular means for your organisation. No equations — practical implications for procurement, strategy and technical decision-making. Covers LEO vs GEO, direct-to-device, 3GPP standards overview and key commercial operators.
Enquire about this course ?3GPP NTN Standards for Engineers
Deep coverage of 3GPP Release 17–19 NTN specifications — transparent vs regenerative payloads, timing advance and Doppler management, NTN-IoT (NB-IoT and LTE-M), RedCap devices, satellite-terrestrial handover, and spectrum coordination. Working with primary 3GPP technical specs throughout.
Enquire about this course ?NTN Systems Integration & AI-Native Radio
Full NTN architecture from Release 17 to Release 20 roadmap, including regenerative payload design, inter-satellite links, O-RAN NTN integration, AI-native RAN rApps for NTN, spectrum coexistence modelling, and link budget analysis for D2D services. Includes a systems integration case study based on real deployment scenarios.
Enquire about this course ?All courses can be tailored to your organisation’s specific NTN context — defence satellite programmes, mobile network operator NTN planning, aerospace systems integration, or EdTech satellite deployment. Contact us to discuss a bespoke programme. Indicative pricing starts at £1,500 per delegate for group delivery.
Who NTN training is for
NTN sits at the intersection of satellite systems engineering and cellular standards — which means it is relevant to a broader range of organisations than either domain alone.
NTN and AI-native radio — why they converge
AI is being built into the radio access network. NTN is part of that architecture.
The O-RAN Alliance and the AI-RAN Alliance (132 members including Qualcomm, Vodafone and SK Telecom) are developing AI-native RAN capabilities — where machine learning is embedded into the radio access network for interference management, beam forming, handover optimisation and spectrum coordination. Release 20 brings NTN into this architecture explicitly.
For engineers, this means that NTN fluency and AI-native radio fluency are converging skill sets — not separate specialisms. The engineers who understand both the 3GPP NTN standards layer and the O-RAN AI-native RAN architecture will be operating in a space where almost no one else currently sits.
Yesway’s advanced NTN course covers the O-RAN NTN integration layer and AI-native rApp architecture as part of the Release 20 roadmap module — giving engineers a foundation in both domains from a single training programme.
Why train with Yesway Communications
Enquire about NTN training
All three NTN training levels are available for individual delegates, corporate teams and government or defence organisations. Remote delivery via Zoom or in-person across the UK. Contact us to discuss your requirements and we will respond within two working days.