NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORK DIRECT SAMPLING RADIO UNIT (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 5C.544) - EXPRO+ - RE-ISSUE

Objective: The objective of this activity is to design and test an engineering model of a Direct Sampling Radio Unit (DSRU) covering the 5G frequency bands FR1 and FR2.TargetedImprovements:Enabling direct sampling of all 5G frequency bands, providing an RF front end and Digital Signal Processing chip to achieve flexible 5G NTN communication with 20%reduction in power consumption compared to the current state of the art.Description: Current RF Systems-on-Chip (SoC) enables direct sampling in Frequency Range 1 (FR1), but higher frequency ranges still require down-conversion stages to sample atbaseband. There is a significant market need for a solution that enables direct sampling across all 5G frequency bands, simplifying the system architecture and improving theefficiency of5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). As payload capacity and re-configuration requirements increase, the conventional functions - such as separate analoguereceiver / transmitter, filtering and DSP - become more complex, power hungry and with a time to market which is not suitable for a fast-moving NTN scenario. To address thesechallenges, direct RF sampling with wide bandwidth and software-defined architecture offer a simple, scalable, and efficient solution. It supports flexible frequency planning,reduces filtering requirements and enables higher modulation schemes for higher throughput. In addition, integrated DSP enables agile frequency tuning, on-chip digital signalprocessing, and clock for multichip synchronization. Integrated digital signal processing will support the transition to software-defined radio payloads, creating a highlyconfigurable, common hardware / software device that can be used in next generation of communication satellites.This activity will identify discrete Commercial-of-The-Shelf (COTS) ADC / DAC or mixed-signal chips capable of direct sampling of Frequency Range 2 (FR 2), covering both KuandKa-Band. An engineering model of a Direct Sampling Radio Unit (DSRU) covering the 5G frequency bands FR1 and FR will be designed and manufactured. Testing shallevaluate the full Radio Unit (RU) functionality - including RF and lower / upper parts of the physical layer (Low-PHY / High-PHY) .Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_Enterprises/Opportunities_for_SMEs/Procurement_policy_on_fair_access_for_SMEs_-_the_C1-C4_Clauses