Secure and Efficient Group Handover Protocol in 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks

The growing low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite con-stellations have become an essential part of the fifth-generation (5G) non-terrestrial network (NTN) market. These satellites can enable direct-to-cell connectivity for mobile devices and support various applications with ubiquitous coverage for 5G and beyond networks. However, satellite-based NTNs bring several challenges to the 5G handover protocol design. The high mobility of satellites can lead to signaling storms and security compromises during handovers. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a secure and efficient group hand over protocol. The protocol's effectiveness is evaluated on a custom discrete-event simulator and compared against the baseline 5G hand over scheme. The simulator is made publicly available.