How Satellite Services Will Improve Rural Connectivity

In a world demanding enhanced and fast connectivity, standard infrastructure faces limitations. How do we bridge the digital divide and deliver high-speed internet to everyone, everywhere? A French start-up, Constellation Technologies & Operations (CTO), aims to usher in a new era of space telecommunications with its Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellite constellation. This means telecom companies could use a satellite network to deliver internet just like their ground-based networks, offering fast, responsive connections from space. As a step in this direction, CTO has introduced the Early Test, its first “regenerative operational payload” of 5G millimeter wave (5G mmWave) spectrum. CTO is showing off its first piece of working equipment that will be used to send internet signals from space. “Our regenerative 5G mmWave payload is a world first that confirms CTO’s ability to accelerate the convergence between terrestrial and space connectivity. It is a fundamental brick to continue developing the next generation space infrastructure for telecoms operators that they can operate as they do today with terrestrial networks,” said Charles Delfieux, CEO of CTO. The “Early Test” payload, designed for space internet, has been rigorously tested on Earth under space-like conditions. It’s now attached to a satellite platform for its journey into orbit, scheduled for June 2025. This launch will be a major first, as it will be the first time 5G mmWave spectrum tech is used to transmit high-speed, low-latency internet from a satellite to anywhere on Earth. 5G mmWave is a high-frequency radio wave technology used in the fifth generation of wireless communication technology. It operates between 24 and 100 GHz to enable very fast wireless communication. Modern 5G uses the 3.5GHz band for improved capacity and speed. To reach even faster speeds and lower latency, future 5G systems will leverage the much higher frequencies of mmWave technology. These advantages enable the deployment of technologies like autonomous vehicles, remote surgeries, industrial automation, and smart city infrastructure. Full Article: https://lnkd.in/gdziqSCC #CTO #VLEO #5GmmWave CTO has introduced the Early Test, its first “regenerative operational payload” of 5G millimeter wave (5G mmWave) spectrum. (CTO)

Elon Musk’s satellite broadband service, Starlink, has a clear path to #1 in Nigeria, and it is just a matter of time for that reality: “Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, has rapidly ascended to become Nigeria’s third-largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) by subscriber number in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).” First, our major telcos are breaking record losses due to currency paralysis, and I do not expect many of them to be investing significantly over the next few years. Secondly, the unbelievable level of attacks on fiber cables will discourage some independent investors in that space. So, what do you expect? State governments from 2026 will visit SpaceX to help connect their communities. They cannot do that now because the nation is hot (you are not supporting local telcos, etc), but if you check Starlink pricing, it is adjusting for that future. Indeed, drop N100k monthly, and your rural primary school will have internet service. Do the same for the church, mosque, and just like that the local government headquarters will go Starlink. The future in Nigeria is satellite broadband, and it will do to GSM what GSM did to CDMA, and what CDMA did to NITEL cobwebs.

🛰️ 5G from space; or more like getting 5G and Satellite on talking terms- literally and figuratively! 🚀 A 'satellite' based mobile network connectivity has been talked about for some years now and things have started seeing the light of the day. 👉🏽 As satellite technology continues to advance and more partnerships are formed, the potential for satellite networks to supplement and enhance terrestrial networks is becoming increasingly clear. In fact, requirements for NTN i.e. Non Terrestrial Networks were included in 3GPP Release 15 with some more additions for specific implementations in Release 17/18. The new specification enables the inclusion of NTN technologies in "standard" 5G devices ......think your iPhones and Android phones. It is a major step forward for a vision of ubiquitous connectivity if standard mobile phones are able to use space based satellite networks for connectivity. As an example, AST SpaceMobile is thinking about doing just that. Per their stated aim, AST plans on providing a service to fill "Coverage Gaps" so that everyone will stay seamlessly connected. They plan to do it via a LEO satellite system. The benefit with such a satellite system is of course that it is able to reach places where terrestrial coverage is not available. In addition, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Thales all have come together to do a smartphone use-case focused testing and validation of 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN). Attached is a white paper submitted to IEEE on 3GPP NTN that gives specifics on the topic. Hope you find it useful. The next frontier for an all round connectivity is: Indoor coverage #5g #satellite #technology #network #telecom #VPspeak [^536]

There are growing indications that wireless network operators like AT&T and T-Mobile won't need to build new cell towers in rural, uncovered areas anymore. After all, there are already hundreds – and soon, thousands – of satellites that will cover those areas with increasingly powerful wireless services. A number of top company officials are already contemplating this new reality. "That's why we partnered with AST [SpaceMobile]," said AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh at the company's recent analyst day, in reference to AT&T's satellite partner. "That's why we invested with them to get their technology lifted up into orbit. And you'll see us plug in their services on the edge where we don't cover, over the ocean, in the Grand Canyon, in places where, today, it doesn't pay for us to put up wireless cell towers to cover that footprint." Other operators have discussed similar situations. In the future, a company like AST SpaceMobile might eliminate the need for a cell site and cell tower build in certain locations, speculated Matt Desch, the CEO of satellite operator Iridium, during his company's recent quarterly conference call. Desch made it clear that satellites won't serve as a replacement for terrestrial, cell tower-based services. But he did acknowledge that satellites could limit the expansion of cell towers into increasingly rural locations. MORE: https://lnkd.in/gjG_EbPp