Satellites, the connection gold rush

Basically already starting from 2023 thanks also to the collaboration with T-Mobile it will be possible have satellite connectivity via smartphone, enjoying a seamless experience. As if to say that it will be possible switch between a subway call to one in the middle of the desert without noticing changes, or stay connected to the web regardless of the distance from mobile infrastructures traditional. It is no coincidence that during the event there was also talk of Apple’s new emergency communication service.

A project similar to Lynk’s is above all One Webwhich it will exploit SpaceX launches for his satellite network Low Earth Orbit (Leo), i.e. low-orbit, capable of providing high-speed connectivity with low latency for primary, backup and hybrid capabilities. Sunil Bharti Mittal, executive chairman of OneWeb, confirmed that the constellation will soon exceed altitude 500 satellites is that coverage by 2023 will be global. “We have nearly 1.1 Tbps of capacity to serve the world. The power of the low-orbiting constellation is enormous“, he said. And in fact there is also talk of connections in thousands of schools in Africa, the possibility of putting together the low orbit capabilities with the geostationary constellations perhaps of Eutelsat.

At this point one might wonder if there could be some competition or overlap with 5G and 6G technologiesbut according to Professor Michele Zorzi, head of the Signal Processing and Networks Research Center at the University of Padua, it is more probable that synergy. In practice several implementations will allow “deal with scenarios that are part of 5G and will be even more stressed in 6G, such as the worldwide connectivity, including rural and remote areas, emergency and disaster scenarios, and hot-spots (e.g. stadiums)“.

In summary, according to Zorzi, “satellite technology will take place a key role in making possible the concept of non-terrestrial networkswhere three-dimensional distribution and coverage is considered an important feature“. There is talk of a satellite dimension supplemented by other elements, “such as drones and high-altitude platforms (HAPs), towards a multi-layered architecture with a high degree of flexibility to serve the variety of intended applications“.

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The challenges to face

Médard explained very clearly the next critical issues to be addressed: “What is still missing it’s a true reliability and low latency. Bandwidth alone cannot provide uninterrupted communications, and bandwidth is a limited and expensive resource“. Secondly she is convinced that lack still a scalable coordination And manageable among the different satellite and inter-satellite connections and terrestrial networks increasingly complex and heterogeneous. One solution comes from network coding,”which provides reliable and certain networks over unreliable and uncertain networks“. In short, an optimal compromise “between latency and raw throughput, allowing customization for different types of application requirements while providing smooth, reliable and robust service“.

Girish Chandran, vice president and chief technology officer of ViaSat, then recalled the commitment to the approval of new regulations and the development of technologies for a more sustainable use of space. It is widespread worry for the number of mega-constellations planned in the coming years, the growing risk of collisions between satellites and with any debris. We are therefore working to find a way to solve the problem of space junk: an issue not only of security but also of astronomical observation.