Integrated Cellular and LEO-Based Positioning and Synchronization Under User Mobility

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Authors: Yasaman Ettefagh, Sharief Saleh, Musa Furkan Keskin, Hui Chen, Gonzalo Seco-Granados, Henk Wymeersch
Cited by: 1
References: 36

Abstract

This paper investigates the localization, synchronization, and speed estimation of a mobile user equipment (UE) leveraging integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), in particular low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. We focus on a minimal setup in which the UE received signal from only one base station (BS) and one LEO satellite. We derive a generic signal model accounting for mobility, clock and frequency offsets, based on which a hierarchy of simplified models are proposed and organized by computational complexity. Estimation algorithms are developed for each model to facilitate efficient and accurate parameter recovery. Rigorous simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed models, demonstrating their suitability across diverse scenarios. The findings highlight how the trade-off between complexity and performance can be optimized for varying deployment environments and application requirements, offering valuable insights for 6G positioning and synchronization systems under user mobility.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Satellite Communication Systems IoT Networks and Protocols Network Time Synchronization Technologies

Publication details

Journal / source
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Volume
75
Issue
7
Pages
13877–13892
Publication date
9 February 2026