Technology experts from China have announced a groundbreaking advancement in the realm of telecommunications: a satellite that allows compatible smartphones to connect to it and make calls. This is revolutionary because people will be able to communicate with each other even if mobile networks fail or are unreachable. In extreme circumstances, like a natural disaster, it becomes crucial.
Although there have been advances in this field before thanks to companies like Google and Samsung, the approach is different. SpaceX Starlink system, for example, operates in a low orbit around Earth, and it targets older smartphone models, that generally work with 4G signals. Despite technical obstacles like intermodulation interference, these are already revolutionizing the realm of communications all over the world.
The Tiantong Project, however, was born after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, and it deviates from the options we have today. This system works by using three satellites that remain in geostationary orbit instead of going around the earth in a low orbit. The project’s main goal is to provide reliable communication services all over the world, no matter the conditions or the circumstances of the people in need.
Both the Chinese government and the tech giant Huawei have been funding this research, and Huawei has launched the first compatible smartphone to the market. Other Chinese manufacturers like Oppo and Xiaomi are sure to follow in their footsteps.
What about the partnership between SpaceX and T-Mobile?
Although there is no news about its current status, this project promises to give smartphone users access to satellite technology without having to necessarily change their phones for compatible models. Starlink satellites have direct-to-cell technology in them, which allows the satellites to become cellphone towers in space, according to the researchers themselves.
In this case, you’d be able to pick your own network when you want to send a message. If you’re in an emergency, or without phone signal, this can be crucial. One of the obstacles would be the time that it takes a message to go through: it can take up to half an hour.
Companies like Apple are also working on satellite-to-smartphone alternatives. In a super competitive space race, China has made another great discovery that will benefit millions of individuals around the world.