BROWSING: LEO satellites
Rakuten Mobile aims to provide satellite-to-mobile service in Japan
Rakuten Mobile said that this new offering could be launched in 2026
Japanese telco Rakuten Mobile announced plans to start provide satellite-to-mobile service in Japan in 2026 in partnership with AST SpaceMobile.
Rakuten Mobile said that the actual timing of the initiation of any such service...
Telstra claims largest deployment of LEO backhaul in Australia
Telstra made the launch in partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb
Eutelsat Group and Australian carrier Telstra announced the launch of what they claim is the largest rollout of Eutelsat OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) backhaul in Australia.
The launch follows the signing of a strategic multi-year agreement...
Vodafone enters satellite deal with Amazon’s Project Kuiper
Project Kuiper will connect geographically dispersed cellular antennas back to Vodafone’s core telecom network
Vodafone Group and Amazon’s Project Kuiper will use low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to extend 4G and 5G connectivity in Europe and Africa, particularly for those in underserved communities.
Project Kuiper will...
UK government explores plan to open $204 million satellite fund
The government said that this satellite fund would be complemented by a range of live 5G integration projects
The U.K government said it is aiming to boost broadband and 5G coverage in the country with a potential plan to launch a £160 million ($204 million)...
Telstra, Starlink partner on rural connectivity in Australia
Telstra said it expects the new Starlink service options to be available for customers and businesses towards the end of 2023
Australian operator Telstra said Monday that it will tap into Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide fixed broadband...
AT&T, AST SpaceMobile seek FCC approval for spectrum leasing deal
AT&T has agreed to lease spectrum in the 700 MHz and 850 MHz bands to AST SpaceMobile
In an official filing, AT&T asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve waivers allowing satellite-direct-to-phone company AST SpaceMobile to operate on leased spectrum from the carrier....
UK selects LEO satellite company for rural broadband trials
OneWeb currently has a constellation of 618 LEO satellites
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb has been selected for two broadband trials in the U.K. as part of the government’s Very Hard to Reach Premises connectivity program, which aims to deliver connectivity to...
‘Bienvenido Starlink’ — Ecuador welcomes commercial satellite broadband
Starlink services are now available on Ecuador's Galapagos Islands
Ecuador welcomed SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services this weekend, with operations going live in the Galapagos Islands. “Bienvenido Starlink,” tweeted the country’s President Guillermo Lasso, adding his appreciation for Telecom Ecuador, the government’s telecommunications ministry, which is...
Amazon unveils Project Kuiper terminals
Amazon will offer three terminals designed for different use cases
Amazon has given a glimpse at its progress toward its Project Kuiper ambitions of providing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based broadband connectivity for consumers, businesses and IoT applications.
The company provided images and descriptions of three...
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon Satellite for premium phones
The solution uses Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems and Iridium satellite constellation's weather-resistant L-band spectrum
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite, announced at CES 2023, is designed to provide global, two-way messaging capabilities for smartphones. The solution is supported by Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems and weather-resilient L-band spectrum...
Amazon to launch, test Kuiper system
Amazon's Project Kuiper aims to support broadband with thousands of LEO satellites
Amazon is prepping for more extensive testing of its prototype Kuiper LEO broadband communications system, based on an application for Special Temporary Authority (STA) granted by the Federal Communications Commission last Friday.
Amazon...
FCC grants SpaceX partial permission to launch Starlink Gen2
The federal agency sharply curtailed the number of satellites Starlink sought to launch, citing orbital safety concerns
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday granted private space firm SpaceX partial permission to get started on their second-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. With this clearance,...
Apple activates iPhone 14 emergency satellite service
US and Canada get the service first, with France, Germany, Ireland and the U.K. coming in December
Apple on Wednesday announced that it has activated the much-touted “Emergency SOS by satellite” feature of its recently released iPhone 14. The new feature will enable iPhone 14 and...
AST SpaceMobile deems direct-to-cell satellite launch successful
The BlueWalker 3 was launched in September on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket
Satellite designer and manufacturer AST SpaceMobile has shared that its direct-to-cell satellite, the BlueWalker 3, which launched in September on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, has been successfully deployed. The update is considered a critical step...
EU is close to funding its own satellite internet system – report
Officials are expected to hash out the remaining details of the €6 billion project next week
European Union (EU) countries and European Parliament officials are close to a finalizing a €6 billion (US$6.18 billion) deal to put a satellite internet system into orbit. The European...
Apple spent $450M to get iPhone-to-satellite service working
The company drew from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, previously used for R&D investments in Corning and others
Apple’s iPhone 14, introduced in September, is the first iPhone to sport Emergency SOS by satellite functionality. Apple claimed on Thursday that the key feature was made possible...
The FCC to establish a Space Bureau to better support satellite industry
The FCC has received applications for 64,000 new satellites, said Chairwoman Rosenworcel
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reorganizing to better support the growing satellite industry by transforming the International Bureau into two entities: The Space Bureau and a standalone Office of International Affairs. According...
First boats, then planes, now Starlink comes to RVs
Flat High Performance Starlink brings satellite broadband to your camper
SpaceX has announced Starlink for RVs (Recreational Vehicles). The latest permutation of broadband internet service provided by Starlink’s constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) costs $135 per month, plus $599 in hardware fees — a...
SpaceX’s Starlink branches out to aviation
The satellite broadband service promises up to 350 Mbps with no caps, for $25K a month (plus equipment)
SpaceX announced this week Starlink Aviation, a new business unit of its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service tasked with expanding into the in-flight Wi-Fi market. The...
Sateliot and AWS collaborate on direct-to-satellite 5G-based NB-IoT connectivity
Satellite telecom operator Sateliot is working to provide direct-to-satellite narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) connectivity, delivered by Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. The company announced this week a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a fully virtualized cloud-native 5G core for its NB-IoT service,...
Lynk satellite-to-phone service gets FCC approval
With commercial services set to start this year, Lynk’s CEO says the sky's the limit
Satellite telecom service provider Lynk has announced that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted the company a commercial license to operate its satellite-based direct-to-mobile service. The company expects...
Speedcast, Starlink sign maritime, enterprise distribution deal
Speedcast announced this week a new partnership with broadband satellite service provider Starlink to provide Starlink services to Speedcast’s maritime and enterprise customers. Speedcast said that it’s already been supporting customer trials of Starlink as part of its own integrated services package.
The announcement took place...
Apple brings emergency satellite comms to iPhone 14
Globalstar confirmed itself as the service provider behind the new feature
Apple this week unveiled the iPhone 14. The company will begin taking orders for it later this month, with delivery of some models beginning in September and continuing through October. Confirming rumors which first floated...
BICS, Lynk partner on satellite-direct-to-phone coverage
According to Lynk, only about 25% of the world’s landmass is served by terrestrial cell towers
BICS and Lynk Global have signed a satellite-direct-to-phone agreement to provide more robust cellular coverage, particularly in remote and rural communities.
“BICS firmly believes that connected communities are stronger communities,”...