SatNEx, the european satellite communications network of excellence: air interface activities

The SatNEx project has brought together twenty-two partners from European research organisations and academia to form a pan-European research network. A major objective of SatNEx is to rectify the fragmentation in satellite communications research by bringing together leading European academic research organisations in a durable way. Furthermore, the Network aims to establish critical mass and allow access to a range of expertise currently distributed across Europe. In this respect, mobility is an important aspect of SatNEx's work, with academic staff and research students being encouraged to move between institutions to allow access to specialised research equipment and to facilitate research integration.Training represents an important part of SatNEx's remit and is supported through a number of initiatives including the hosting of internship projects, the establishment of summer schools and the dissemination of papers of a tutorial nature.This paper discusses the background and motivation for implementation of the network and highlights the SatNEx mission and key objectives. A top-level overview is provided including a description of the consortium and the Joint Programme of Activities (JPA). Details of the activities carried out under the Work Package 2400 'Access', dealing with the Air Interface system components (physical and access layers) are provided.