Leveraging 5G-NR and DVB-S2X for Positioning in LEO-NTN

Recently, the use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications is emerging as a critical area of research, due to their various advantages and ability to address the limitations and vulnerabilities of traditional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). On the other hand, various studies are comparing the performance of the adoption of 5th Generation New Radio (5G-NR) and Digital Video Broadcasting Second Generation Satellite Extensions (DVB-S2X) for future LEO-based Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) systems. Both protocols are excellent backbone for modern satellite communications deployments, due to their high spectral efficiencies, therefore, the assessment of their suitability to also provide PNT services is of paramount importance. This paper seeks to bridge the gap by exploring key navigation-related performance metrics for 5G-NR and DVB-S2X. This includes an analysis of the statistical Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC), the Mean Acquisition Time (MAT) required for signal acquisition, and the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) associated with signal tracking. The goal is to evaluate the potential availability and accuracy of pseudorange measurements based on those waveforms. In addition, it quantifies the effect of different parameters and resource allocation on the ranging accuracy. The preliminary analysis shows the feasibility of utilizing these well-established communication protocols for positioning to set a baseline for future NTN-LEO Fused Navigation-Communication infrastructure.