▲ (From left) Professor Wonjae Shin (corresponding author), Ph.D. candidate Jaehyup Seong (first author), and M.S. candidate Juha Park (co-author) from the Korea University School of Electrical Engineering.

The research team led by Professor Wonjae Shin from Korea University School of Electrical Engineering has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by developing the world’s first core communication technology for next-generation low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks.


This collaborative research, conducted with Yonsei University and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), is set to be published in January 2025 in the prestigious IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (Impact Factor: 13.8, JCR Top 1.3%). The innovative nature of the research was further recognized with the Excellence Award at the 2024 6G Core Technology Festival held during the ICTC 2024 international conference organized by ETRI.


The study introduced a non-orthogonal unified uni-multicast transmission technology, a novel approach to efficiently utilizing frequency, time, and power resources in LEO satellite communication environments. This technology enables the simultaneous and rapid delivery of both personalized content and public content, such as broadcasts and emergency messages, to multiple users.


LEO satellite communication systems, operating at altitudes of 300–1,500 km, provide wide-area coverage with low latency and high-speed data processing capabilities, making them essential for 6G networks. These systems are expected to play a key role in achieving global connectivity by integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.


Despite their advantages, LEO satellites are constrained by limited radio resources, which are insufficient to meet the surging demand for data. To address this challenge, the research team developed a technology capable of delivering both unicast and multicast services using the same frequency and time resources. By minimizing the gap between traffic demand and provided traffic, the technology optimizes resource utilization and communication efficiency.
 

▲ System model for non-orthogonal unified uni-multicast transmission in low-earth orbit satellite communication systems.
 

The team also derived performance optimization conditions for the unified uni-multicasting transmission and developed an algorithm with low computational complexity. This innovation enables LEO satellites to effectively support both personalized and public content delivery, even with limited onboard computing resources.


Professor Wonjae Shin commented, “Our technology represents a significant breakthrough in overcoming the limitations of existing satellite networks. By drastically reducing computational complexity and maximizing communication efficiency, this development opens new possibilities for realizing 6G LEO satellite networks.”


Supported by the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), this research is expected to play a vital role in advancing 6G satellite communication systems. The team aims to further optimize resource utilization and ensure fast and reliable content delivery in next-generation satellite communication environments.