Any ‘smartphone’ can surf the web without having antennas nearby, helping to connect rural, maritime or remote mountain regions
The first mobile broadband service directly connected via satellite to a standard telephone in Spain is almost a reality. Vodafone announced on Sunday in the context of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that it will start a pilot project this summer to test satellite internet services with AST SpaceMobile.
The satellite connection allows users in rural, maritime or remote mountain areas to surf the Internet in the same way as when connected to traditional network antennas. “The speed and latency will be the same as what the user is used to today,” said Yago Tenorio, Vodafone’s Director of Network Strategy, at an event in Barcelona hours before MWC kicks off this Monday.
AST SpaceMobile is a technology in which Vodafone is one of the main investors and uses the test satellite BlueWalker 3 (BW3) to connect companies, governments and citizens. Launched last September, this satellite will enable the construction of “the first and only satellite mobile broadband cellular network for unmodified mobile phones,” said Scott Wisniewski, Head of Strategy at AST SpaceMobile, explaining that it is a system of “hybrid technology”. that connects the mobile seamlessly to the existing network.
And that is the main advantage. Any user’s mobile phones can connect to the satellite without introducing new technology. It will be connected via satellite to standard commercial mobile phones. “This is the big difference from the rest of the companies that innovate and develop this technology, so far they all need a terminal modification or an external fixed unit that provides connectivity,” said Tenorio.
The terms are not very long. Testing of the satellite will begin in the summer using the commercial infrastructure of mobile network operators Nokia and Rakuten. At the end of 2023, the launch of another five commercial satellites will take place and a first Internet of Things (IoT) service will be offered with which devices can be connected. “Dozens of satellites” will be launched in 2024 that will allow an “almost continuous” service, said the AST representative, indicating that it will be necessary to study “country by country” but confirmed that Spain is a “priority” . for the company.
In this sense, Vodafone – which has had exclusive rights to this technology in Europe for five years – assured that it is already in contact with the administration and its regulatory authorities at Spanish and European level to collaborate in the implementation of these solutions.
Satellite connectivity is expected to provide voice calls, messaging, emergency services, broadband internet connection and IoT services. This network architecture is designed to allow mobile devices to automatically switch between space and terrestrial networks for the end user, “to eliminate gaps in coverage, which is a competitive advantage for the operator,” according to Vodafone.
This service not only helps the connection of citizens living in areas with little coverage, but also makes it possible to communicate mountain or sea emergencies, natural disasters or humanitarian disasters, said Julia Velasco, network director of Vodafone Spain .
AST will deploy a satellite control center in Spain, deployed in Madrid, as confirmed by Vodafone. In addition, Vodafone Spain will be the one to coordinate traffic in the Mediterranean, although they are still deciding where to place this center, without excluding the “hub” that the operator has in Malaga.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
