SoftBank plans to reach remote areas using satellite-based backhaul technology
Japanese telecom operator SoftBank said following a successful field trial, it’s looking to support LTE services using Israeli telecom equipment manufacturer Gilat’s satellite-based cellular backhaul technology.
The technology is expected to allow SoftBank to offer high-speed mobile communication services in remote areas where it is difficult to install fixed-line facilities and base stations. SoftBank said it expects to start offering commercial services using the technology this year.
The telco currently offers 3G services using satellite communications as backhaul. SoftBank contributed to the development of Gilat’s SkyEdge II-c high-speed satellite communications platform and has already conducted field trials, which demonstrated downlink rates of up to 100 megabits per second using mobile handsets.
“With this technology we will be able to also offer high-speed LTE services in mountainous regions, remote islands and other areas in Japan where it is difficult to install fixed-line backhaul cost-effectively and quickly,” explained Yasuyuki Imai, EVP and head of SoftBank’s Technology Unit. “We already have satellite-based backhaul in those regions, but now we will be able to offer our customers LTE speeds.”
The executive also said it expects to implement the technology for SoftBank’s Sprint subsidiary in the U.S.
SoftBank ended the third quarter of fiscal year 2015 with 31.68 million mobile subscribers in Japan, posting 74,000 net additions for its most recent quarter. The carrier offers TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE services across Japan, and is collaborating with Huawei in the development of what it’s calling TDD+ technology and recently signed a deal with ZTE for the deployment of so-called “4.5G” technology.
