Samsung has entered the race to enable two-way communication via satellite on smartphones. His upcoming Exynos Modem 5300 will allow users in very remote areas (or disaster areas where utilities are disabled) to communicate with the world using the 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) .
The new modems implement the standard 3GPP Release 17, ensuring interoperability with emerging telecom networks and hardware and software developed by smartphone manufacturers.
This is an image diagram of NTN communication. Smartphones send messages to satellites (and “other non-ground vehicles”) and send messages back to ground stations. The ground station relays the message to the normal cell network for other users to receive.
Since this is a two-way communication, messages can also flow in the opposite direction. Also, in addition to text, in the future it will be possible to transmit high-resolution photos and videos via satellite.
Of course, this will be used in smartphones, but Samsung also sees use in “urban air mobility” vehicles such as flying cars and unmanned aerial vehicles. You don’t want to lose connection in flight.
In any case, Samsung says it is working on narrowband Internet of Things technology (NB-IoT).
“Samsung aims to lead in promoting a hybrid terrestrial-NTN communication ecosystem around the world in preparation for the arrival of 6G.” Min Goo Kim, executive vice president of communications processor development at Samsung Electronics, said: Samsung has been working on 6G for years and the South Korean government wants him to have a prototype of his 6G network ready in 2026.
As of now, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Satellite in January of this year. It also aims to enable two-way messaging via satellite on smartphones. We should be able to see the first such devices later this year. By the way, Qualcomm is also behind his Apple satellite technology.
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