Secrecy-Aware Mobility Control for the ORAN Enabled 6G TN–NTN Continuum

Only the chairs can edit Future wireless network deployments are expected to integrate Terrestrial Network Terrestrial Network (TN) and Non-Terrestrial Network Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) segments to enhance coverage and capacity; however, this convergence also introduces new security challenges for protecting air-interface confidentiality. This study examines the impact of physical-layer security (PLS) in an integrated TN-NTN architecture under realistic mobility and handover dynamics, using an xApp for control. We extend an ns-3 TN-NTN scenario to a network with passive downlink eavesdroppers and introduce a secrecy metric to quantify confidentiality in their presence. Simulation results show that the modelled secrecy-aware xApp improves confidentiality against passive downlink eavesdropping by up to 80%, while preserving service quality continuity. When the xApp decision logic is implemented using an Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX)-deployed Machine Learning (ML) gating module, the secrecy-outage reduction relative to the non-secrecy baseline reached up to 97.5%. Overall, the results suggest that TN-NTN in a unified continuum should be evaluated not only for coverage extension but also for adaptive security, where the control plane can steer UEs toward serving cells that offer more favorable secrecy conditions under dynamic channel and mobility conditions.