Ericsson, Qualcomm and Thales plan to take 5G into Earth-orbiting satellites

Global Technology majors, which include the Swedish telecom equipment maker Thales, Ericsson, and Qualcomm, have announced their plans to build a space-based 5G network, in which smartphones will be able to directly communicate with satellites.

According to the companies, the objective is to improve global connectivity and provide better internet services across the globe.

Erik Ekudden, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson, said, "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."

John Smee, senior vice president of engineering, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, said "For 5G to fulfill on the promise of ubiquitous connectivity, it is imperative that it can also deliver network coverage in areas where terrestrial cellular networks do not exist, whether that be over oceans or in remote areas. Our planned research with Ericsson and Thales will kick off an important step in making this vital technology a reality. We are looking forward to what this collaboration can accomplish."

Moreover, the three firms are looking to launch lots of satellites with 5G capabilities to bring coverage to extreme geographies or remote areas across seas.

The plan would potentially cut out the base stations and antennas that current mobile networks need to send and receive data.

The project could even pave the way for global wireless coverage from space at a time when governments have become increasingly concerned about ensuring the autonomy and resilience of their telecom infrastructure.

A space-based network could also be used to back up terrestrial networks in the event of major outages or disasters and offer connections in places not covered by the traditional service providers.

As per Ericsson, testing would continue well into 2023 as it needs to be seen whether it is feasible to build a network of satellites that can connect with smartphones.