Shortly before our section of ETEC 523 began in the spring there was a significant breakthrough in satellite to cellphone communications. Recalling some of the recent stories I heard from my students about growing up without cell reception in the Outback of Australia, in coastal BC towns or in rural Hawaii I wanted to explore this development further. For my A3 forecasting project I examined the implications of this exciting new milestone and provide some predictions on how this breakthrough might be applied to rural development, skills training and distance education. To present my thoughts I have created a simple website on the Wix platform because of its mobile-first design functions. Please view the site on your phone or tablet and feel free to share any feedback you might have on this page. Here is a link to my site. Enjoy!
A3 – The Future of Satellite to Mobile Phone Communications
8 responses to “A3 – The Future of Satellite to Mobile Phone Communications”
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Hi Jamie,
Super exciting! The Charles Miller quote was great — the leap for those with no connectivity to some connectivity is far greater than 4G to 5G. We are just lucky (and spoiled) to not have to think about that…
I follow “tech” fairly closely, but Lynk wasn’t something I had heard of until now. I guess it makes sense that shiny new gadgets are more marketable, but things like this show us how little value they often have beyond material.
Hi Jamie,
This project idea is so cool and I had no idea satellite to mobile phone communication has made such a monumental development! I liked the format of the presentation as it made me want to keep clicking and reading to see what came next. It’s promising to see the opportunity this could provide for rural communities and I found it interesting how Lynk has differentiated themselves from the 5G phenomena and their claim that this will be a bigger breakthrough than 5G. I think the big barrier to Lynk will still be geopolitical barriers as there are countries that do not want some of their communities to have an expanded means of communication so getting those countries to sign on may be difficult. At the 2G stage for basic texting, phone calls, and emergency calls, countries may permit it but once we get past that stage and into the level where users can browse the internet using their phones via their Lynk subscription, then those countries may resist. Take China and their internet censorship restrictions, getting them onboard with Lynk may be a challenge and they have many rural areas that lack mobile connectivity. Has Lynk discussed how they will get governments to allow their service into their countries or will it be like Virtual Private Networks (VPN) where they simply bypass them?
Thanks for a very interesting project and teaching me something new!
Hi Juliano,
Thank you for your review and your questions. I am glad you enjoyed it. You raise a great question about how Lynk plans to get buy-in from the more regulated markets. I feel their strategy will be to gain access to as many markets as possible though the local mobile network operators (MNOs) with the hope the momentum they gain will carry them over into new markets. I suspect the biggest complication they will face is from rival companies (or countries) such as AST SpaceMobile providing the same service to a larger number of MNO’s much earlier. That said, Lynk is the only company, as of today, that has proven their technology works in space. I also wonder how they will deal with the inevitable hacking attacks and if the Federal Communications Commission in the US will approve their security plans? These are exciting times.
Wow, Jamie.
What an amazing and recent development in cellular satellite technology. I appreciate your choice of topic to share with us. The wonderful ways in which this technology can help people in rural areas are incredible. I enjoyed the delivery of this presentation. The story format portrayed a futuristic vibe of what is to come. As you click on the next page, the anticipation builds. Well done!
Did Lynk discuss the coverage one low orbiting satellite has? For one island in Hawaii, how many satellites will fill the sky? With low orbiting satellites, how noticeable are they? I guess it does not necessarily matter to the people who will receive cell coverage. That will improve their lives as you shared with us, so the trade-off isn’t that big of a deal.
With so much press regarding SpaceX recently, it is great to see a different option that seems to leave less of an impact in space and resources. Thanks again for enlightening me on the newest technologies.
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for your review and your questions. When I first started researching this topic I kept thinking how great it would be to send selfies from the top of Fisher Peek! In regards to your question I found a couple of interviews where Lynk’s CEO Charles Millers states that he envisions having 30 shoe-box sized LEO satellites. In this Verge article is says. “The company is capable of providing commercial services with just a few dozen satellites, but to provide 4G coverage, Lynk will need to launch thousands of its small vehicles. Numerous concerns have been raised about the kinds of impacts these constellations will have on the space environment, but Miller says Lynk’s footprint will be smaller than other constellations as its satellites are fairly tiny.” (https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184126/lynk-mega-constellation-text-message-android-smartphone-cell-towers-space). I am also concerned about impacts this will have on the environment and the night sky if all the competitors (new and old) are launching thousands of satellites into low earth orbit – especially if these satellites area “designed for a three to five-year lifespan” (https://spacenews.com/op-ed-streamlined-fcc-licensing-a-big-deal-for-smallsats/). Could this be the start of a commercial space race?
Thanks!
Hi Jamie,
I like the focus on the one idea and presentation. The benefits you mentioned are jaw dropping especially since costs, including economic and political issues are small. Being an astronomy geek, I researched this in comparison to Starlink from Space X with their mega 12000 satellite constellation in orbit, it’s needs for additional hardware, costs and the crowded air space. From your website, it seems Lynk does not need any additional hardware and has a small footprint.
Further research shows that the space environment is going to get busy with many such satellites orbiting around the earth. Along with the debris and other regular satellites, it’s interesting to see how all of this plays out.
Do you think the regular cell phone providers need to do anything or put in added cost for this satellite linking? Also, will the Lynk work with all phones going back 5-6 years or just new ones? This would be an interesting outlook for the future if we never had the need for cell phone providers or towers, if such satellites with up to 4g, were suitable for most people will take over. My concern is how the starry night sky would get mixed with 100 or thousands of low orbiting satellites.
Love the presentation and sci-fi take on it and how this reality is making a breakthrough for the benefit for everyone and not just the borders we are defined in.
Hi Luke,
Thanks for your review and your questions. According to their website and Twitter account Lynk’s technology is compatible with everything from 2G to 4G but currently it does not work inside (https://lynk.world/our-technology). Its chief competitor SpaceMobile, claims their systems works with 4G but also works inside buildings. (https://ast-science.com/spacemobile/faqs/). I understand that for both companies their plan is to sell airtime to mobile network operators similar to the way we are charged roaming charges when we travel overseas. As I mentioned above I am also concerned about space junk if this becomes an international commercial space race. What I do like about this development is how it will improve our global awareness of human rights issues, environmental concerns and emergency relief. I guess it was pound to happen, as Star Trek predicted but frankly I am surprised it too so long.
I love the term jubilant profanity. That would be a great album title.
I loved this presentation! It was super original, totally not like anything I’d yet seen. And I learned a ton of cool stuff. There was a moment while I was clicking through where I was wondering why this technology would be useful, and then you answered me – in spades! The stuff about Lynk saving lives, giving new access, filling in black spots was all great. It was interesting hearing it suggested that the move to 5G isn’t like the invention of the printing press how most sources seem to suggest it is.
Thanks for the cool lesson!