Three well-known tech companies have announced that they are teaming up to build a satellite internet network, Reuters reported.
The company trio consists of Ericsson, a Swedish networking and telecommunications company, Thales, a French developer and manufacturer of electrical and aerospace, defense, transportation and security devices, and Qualcomm, a U.S. semiconductor and software manufacturer.
The three are planning to develop a satellite-based 5G network that is meant to improve internet connectivity on earth. This would facilitate communication from secluded parts of the world, where network access is problematic or doesn’t exist at all. In this way, a 5G smartphone would be able to use the 5 G network to connect from anywhere in the world, no matter how isolated.
According to the Ericsson official website,
After having each conducted detailed research, which included multiple studies and simulations, the parties plan to enter smartphone-use-case-focused testing and validation of 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN).
The new technology will be extensively tested on earth, to determine whether it is sustainable and if it’s worth continuing the simulation in space. If the results of the tests are successful, the next potential step would be to continue the testing activities on the International Space Station. At the moment, there are discussions being carried out regarding this phase of the project.
The Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer of Ericsson, Erik Ekudden, declared that
This testing and validation cooperation between Ericsson, Thales and Qualcomm Technologies will be a major milestone in the history of communications as the ultimate result could effectively mean that no matter where you are on Earth – in the middle of an ocean or the remotest forest – high-end, secure and cost-effective connectivity will be available through collaborative 5G satellite and terrestrial connectivity.
If their project is successful, the satellite-powered network would represent serious competition for expensive satellite phones and internet services provided by other companies, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.