In collaboration with several industrial partners, Airbus will develop a new generation of 5G terrestrial, aerial, maritime and space telecommunications solutions with the support of BPI France. This will allow users to remain connected even thousands of kilometres from a 5G antenna of a mobile operator, whether they are on land, at sea or in the air. 

Air! 5G will enable the development of 5G communications deployable in areas without coverage of mobile operator networks (white zones, oceans, airspaces) over the next three years. 

They can also be deployed in situations where networks are unavailable or saturated following a natural disaster (earthquake, forest fires), in a context of crisis or conflict, or to strengthen the capacities available during a major event (international, sporting).

The 5G stations developed by Airbus will exploit the latest technological advances in 3GPP standards, including network virtualisation (slicing), densification of 5G coverage without a physical link (IAB – Integrated Access and Backhauling) and spatial filtering (Beamforming). These advances will offer ease of deployment and increased performance compared to current solutions, both in terms of flow and distances covered. 

Furthermore, Airbus will guarantee interoperability between 5G networks and low-orbit satellite constellations. We will develop 5G NTN (Non Terrestrial Networks) solutions to enable direct communications between 5G terminals and satellites. 

The project also includes a crucial cybersecurity component to provide secure communications, particularly for government agencies. For civil security applications, developments will be based on the Agnet application. Agnet was created by Airbus Defence and Space to allow the creation of closed groups of users who can exchange voice and video in real time using 3GPP Critical Mission Services standards.

In partnership with AMP, Haivision, B<>com, Obvios, Green Communication, Greenerwave and TPL, Air!5G has been designated as part of the "Microelectronics and Communication" category of the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPIEC) initiative. Launched by the European Commission with the objective of fostering European autonomy in pivotal technological domains. Airbus Defence and Space has been selected to lead this project due to its extensive experience in the aerospace sector and the development of communication networks for military, rescue and internal security operations.