Market Insight | From Backhaul to Battlefield: 5G NTN Modems Enabling Multi-Domain Operations

by Omkar NIKAM

A deep dive into how 5G NTN modems are redefining resilience, mobility, and connectivity across modern multi-domain warfare.

For years, military communications have struggled with a core tension: forces need high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity everywhere they operate, yet they increasingly fight in environments where such connectivity is either degraded or deliberately contested. The gap between strategic ambitions and tactical reality is widening, particularly as operations become more distributed and multi-domain. This is precisely where 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), powered by advanced, ruggedized modems, fit into the future of military communications.

In the last 18 months, I’ve seen a decisive shift in how defense organizations value NTN solutions. What was once dismissed as a commercial telecom curiosity is now being scrutinized by entities such as the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO Allied Command Transformation, the UK Ministry of Defence, Japan MOD, and Australia Defence Force. The reason is simple: 5G NTN is no longer about extending cellular coverage; it’s about enabling resilient, high-capacity, multi-domain operations from the tactical edge to theater-level C2.

In this article, I explore how 5G NTN modems transition from backhaul enablers to tactical combat multipliers, identifying concrete military use cases, determining the real customer segments, examining the strategic challenges that remain, and analyzing the demand signals that are accelerating adoption today.

The Strategic Context: Why 5G NTN Matters Now

Modern militaries rely on data-intensive workflows, including ISR aggregation, AI-assisted targeting, telemedicine, digital logistics, and battlefield management systems. Yet the communications backbone supporting them remains patchy, fragile, and difficult to scale.

Traditional satcom, whether provided by Viasat, Inmarsat (now part of Viasat), Iridium, Eutelsat OneWeb, or SES, is heavily used but often expensive, latency-bound, and capacity-constrained.

Meanwhile, the explosion of commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) systems like SpaceX Starlink and Amazon Leo has opened new bandwidth possibilities but introduced new geopolitical and operational risks: availability controls, cyber vulnerabilities, and uncertain wartime access.

5G NTN modems sit at the intersection of these worlds. With the right waveform, antenna integration, and link optimization, they can:

• bridge cellular and satellite seamlessly

• enable mobility at high speeds, including aviation and maritime

• offer low latency comparable to fiber

• provide ruggedization for mission environments

• anchor multi-domain communications with interoperable 3GPP standards

In short, they close the “resilience gap” that conventional satcom and terrestrial 5G cannot.

Concrete Military Use Cases Emerging Today

Unlike many hyped defense technologies, 5G NTN modems have immediate, tangible use cases. Three stand out.

1. Cellular Backhaul for Tactical Communications

The first and most natural application is providing backhaul to extend tactical mesh networks, secure cellular bubbles, and forward-deployed C2 nodes.

Forward units, whether U.S. Army brigade combat teams or NATO rapid reaction forces, already create temporary local cellular networks using deployable systems from providers like General Dynamics Mission Systems or L3Harris Technologies. The missing link has been reliable backhaul at range.

5G NTN modems enable:

• backhaul of mission data, including video feeds, SIGINT packets, and BMS updates

• extension of 5G bubbles to remote bases and maneuver elements

• integration with LEO/MEO/GEO constellations for redundancy

• near-real-time tactical cloud access

This capability fills a critical operational need: connecting the tactical edge to theater-level intelligence networks without relying on vulnerable local infrastructure.

2. V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) for Ground Convoys

The second major application is enabling V2X communications across armored vehicles, convoys, and unmanned ground systems.

With 5G NTN, convoy operations benefit from:

• dynamic route coordination

• real-time vehicle diagnostics

• autonomous/remote operation links

• sensor fusion across the convoy network

• improved counter-ambush situational awareness

Modern militaries, from the U.S. Army to the Bundeswehr and French Armed Forces, are investing heavily in autonomous or semi-autonomous ground systems. Those vehicles need reliable, low-latency connectivity even in areas where infrastructure is destroyed or contested.

5G NTN provides that connectivity without relying on terrestrial towers.

3. Airborne ISR Downlinks

Today’s ISR aircraft, like NATO RQ-4D Global Hawk, U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, or maritime patrol aircraft, produce massive volumes of data. Traditionally, these datasets have been backhauled via proprietary SATCOM terminals.

5G NTN modems introduce new options:

• multi-gigabit downlink potential

• coherence with 3GPP standards, simplifying interoperability

• smaller SWaP-C profiles, suitable for Group 2–3 UAS

• continuous connectivity even during high-speed maneuvers

Countries modernizing their ISR fleets, India, South Korea, Japan, and Gulf states, are already exploring NTN-enabled payloads to complement existing satcom.

Customer Segments: Who Actually Buys 5G NTN?

One of the biggest mistakes vendors make is assuming “the military” is a single customer. It is not. There are four distinct segments, each with different procurement timelines, budgets, and technical priorities.

1. Army Brigades and Maneuver Units

These units require:

• mobile backhaul

• V2X communications

• battlefield management system integration

• resilient tactical cellular bubbles

Countries like the United States, Poland, Finland, Australia, and Italy are the early movers here, as they modernize brigades for distributed, multi-domain operations.

2. Joint Task Forces (JTFs)

Joint task forces create interoperability headaches. Anything that relies on standardized 3GPP infrastructure reduces integration friction between branches.

For JTFs, the key selling points are:

• plug-and-play interoperability

• rapid forward deployment

• cross-branch secure data sharing

This segment includes joint special operations commands, multinational NATO battlegroups, and regional coalition forces.

3. Maritime Fleets

Navies, from littoral patrol vessels to destroyers, depend on resilient connectivity that holds up in motion and across vast distances.

5G NTN offers:

• connected ship fleets

• maritime ISR data routing

• integration with autonomous surface or underwater vehicles

• high-capacity backhaul for onboard sensors

Because maritime units operate in low-infrastructure theaters, NTN value propositions resonate strongly.

4. Air Force Tactical Communications Units

This segment includes:

• ISR squadrons

• airborne early warning units

• tactical airlift wings

• UAV wings

They need high-speed airborne links, and NTN provides new pathways to downlink data directly into mission systems without relying on proprietary terminals.

Strategic Challenges Slowing Adoption

While the promise of 5G NTN is strong, several challenges remain. These aren’t deal-breakers, but they influence integration timelines.

1. Mobility Constraints

Although 3GPP Release 17 formally introduced NTN, real-world performance under fast mobility (e.g., jets or high-speed convoys) is still being validated. Doppler compensation, beam handover reliability, and waveform stability require extensive field testing.

This is where companies like Qualcomm, MediaTek, Rohde & Schwarz, and emerging startups specializing in NTN modems are investing heavily.

2. Spectrum Management

Defense spectrum, especially L/S-band and C-band, is crowded and highly regulated. Aligning NTN operations within defense-managed spectral zones is both bureaucratic and technically complex.

Moreover, militaries hesitate to rely solely on commercial spectrum for wartime operations.

3. Resilience in Contested EW Environments

Perhaps the biggest challenge is ensuring 5G NTN links survive:

• uplink jamming

• spoofing

• cyber intrusions

• RF denial

• adversarial signal detection

Nations like Russia and China have heavily invested in electronic warfare (EW); preparing NTN systems for that level of contestation is essential.

The direction of travel is clear: integration with protected tactical waveforms, anti-jam antennas, and AI-based link management algorithms.

Demand Drivers Accelerating Global Adoption

Despite the challenges, demand for 5G NTN is growing rapidly. Four forces are driving it.

1. The Rise of Distributed and Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)

Militaries are shifting from monolithic formations to distributed kill webs requiring constant high-bandwidth connectivity.

5G NTN is intrinsically designed for distributed architectures.

2. Surge in Low-Cost Autonomous Systems

With thousands of autonomous platforms entering battlefields, from drones to unmanned ground vehicles, connectivity needs to scale, securely and affordably.

NTN modems enable that scale in a standardized way.

3. Lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East

Conflicts have demonstrated the fragility of legacy satcom, the importance of LEO, and the need for redundancy across:

• Cellular

• Satellite

• Line-of-sight

• Tactical mesh

5G NTN provides that redundancy without creating proprietary stovepipes.

4. Defense Modernization Budgets Increasing Worldwide

Countries like Japan, Poland, South Korea, the U.S., Australia, and Middle Eastern states are all increasing defense budgets. Communications modernization is one of the biggest overlapping priorities across their investment portfolios.

This creates fertile ground for 5G NTN procurement in the next 3–5 years.

My Strategic Perspective: Where This Market Is Actually Heading

In my view, 5G NTN is about to enter a “fast-follow” phase, where a few early adopters validate the technology, and others rapidly copy them. The pattern mirrors the rise of commercial LEO terminals.

But the real breakthrough will come from defense-specific 5G NTN modems that integrate:

• multi-orbit switching (LEO/MEO/GEO)

• software-defined radios (SDRs)

• protected tactical waveforms

• onboard AI link optimization

• cross-domain interoperability

The companies that will dominate the market are those that blend telecom-grade engineering with defense-grade resilience. That means a hybrid ecosystem: major primes, telecom chipset manufacturers, and highly specialized startups.

For militaries, the question is no longer whether 5G NTN will play a role, but how soon it can be deployed and integrated across force structures. In the next few years, 5G NTN modems will be essential to tactical communications as SATCOM terminals are today.

This shift, from connectivity as a support function to connectivity as a battlefield enabler, is one of the most important transformations in modern military operations. And 5G NTN sits right at the center of it.

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About Author

Omkar NIKAM, Founder & CEO, Access Hub

Omkar is a consultant, analyst, and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience advising governments, space firms, defense agencies, aerospace, maritime, and media technology companies worldwide. At Access Hub, he shapes the vision, strategy, and global partnerships, positioning the platform at the crossroads of innovation and business growth.