The agreement, which extends through 2034, will enable Vodafone to offer space-based cellular broadband connectivity
Direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has locked down another mobile carrier deal, securing a long-term commercial agreement with European and African telecommunications company Vodafone Group. The pair said the agreement,...
5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), are essentially satellite base stations or ‘cell towers in space’ and are being designed to overcome some of the limitations of terrestrial networks.
Download this white paper to learn about the evolution of NTNs, some of the supported use cases, standardization...
Non-terrestrial networks, or NTNs, will be a native component in 6G networks, according to 6G-NTN project member Dorin Panaitopol
For those behind Europe’s 6G-NTN project, non-terrestrial networks, or NTNs, are the only way to achieve ubiquitous coverage, project member Dorin Panaitopol told 6G Forum...
Docomo said it is driving R&D in cutting-edge non-terrestrial network technologies that combine GEO, LEO and HAPS
Japanese telco NTT DOCOMO is currently focusing on demonstration tests and standardization efforts for 5G evolution and 6G technology with the aim of achieving a combination of advances...
Starting this fall, some Verizon customers will be able to use emergency messaging and location sharing
Verizon has partnered with California-based Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) communications provider Skylo to enable direct-to-device messaging service for the carrier’s customers using “certain” smartphones. Starting this fall, some Verizon customers...
The AST SpaceMobile satellites will depart from a launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida in September
Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has completed construction of its first five Bluebird low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and announced a shipment scheduled for the first week of August, followed by...
Verizon makes a $100 million commitment to AST
AST SpaceMobile has followed up a commercialization announcement with AT&T with the news today that the satellite company has struck a deal with Verizon to provide direct-to-cellular service to the carrier's customers and leverage Verizon's 850 MHz...
The latest test and measurement trends include Non-terrestrial and Open RAN networks
To set the stage for the Test and Measurement Forum (available on demand here), Emil Olbrich, vice president of network technologies with Signals Research Group (SRG), laid out some of the market trends...
In today’s evolving telecoms landscape, providers are faced with mounting competition and growing pressure to provide the best, most reliable service. Many experts in this sector understand the limitations of existing networks, realizing that the true way to establish the most seamless connectivity is...
Even as carrier strike partnerships and push forward with testing of Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) connectivity, there are some big questions that are being asked about the underlying business fundamentals of the convergence of cellular and satellite.
Is there a large-scale, viable business in providing...
The interest in cellular non-terrestrial network technology and the business opportunity is reflected in the amount of activity in the space in recent years, as 3GPP 5G standards work has built momentum toward convergence of satellite and cellular networks and raised the possibility of...
NTNs will be critical to the future 6G ecosystem, bridging the gap between traditional terrestrial networks and the new space-based communications
The 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks (6G-NTN) project has released a white paper in which the body explores the future of connectivity in the 6G ecosystem.
6G-NTN...
Panelists at the Open RAN Forum discuss how Open RAN is helping solve some of the biggest non-terrestrial 5G hurdles
At this year’s Open RAN Forum, Cambridge Consultants’ Director of Wireless Technology Tim Rogers asserted that Open RAN architecture “accelerates the development of high-value, novel...
Sateliot noted that this achievement paves the way for massive access to connectivity everywhere in the planet
Satellite-based 5G narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) wholesaler Sateliot, which operates a Low-Earth orbit (LEO) 5G IoT satellite constellation, and Spanish operator Telefónica said they have successfully extended the reach...
GSMA and ESA partnership will help develop new satellite and terrestrial network technologies that allow for better integration with 5G and 6G systems
The GSMA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) that outlines plans to jointly develop new...
Panelists touched on 5G, Wi-Fi 7 and IoT non-terrestrial network devices
During a panel at the Test & Measurement Forum, two panelists discussed some of the testing challenges associated with next-generation devices, like those equipped with 5G and Wi-Fi 7, as well as communication...
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...
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...
One of the new capabilities that is being introduced in 5G is integration of terrestrial networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN), whether those are High-altitude Platforms (HAPS) flying the stratosphere, or satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or geostationary orbit (GEO).
The ability to provide 5G...
Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are being integrated into 5G standards and, according to standards body ATIS, "maximize the inherent value of 5G networks by solving coverage problems and difficult use-cases that ground-based infrastructure alone cannot address." While NTN are often assumed to be LEO or...
