SoftBank Corp. and Intelsat signed a groundbreaking collaboration settlement that may result in the launch of a single “Ubiquitous Network” enabling prospects to remain related in all places they go.
SoftBank and Intelsat will collectively lead analysis and improvement of seamless 5G connections between terrestrial cellular networks and satellite tv for pc communications networks.
In a society the place everybody and every little thing is more and more depending on staying related, handy, and always-on, telecommunications are important. Nevertheless, regardless of the approaching realization of autonomous mobility with cars, ships, drones and different automobiles, many areas are nonetheless with out ground-based cellular community protection and require separate units and accounts to connect with non-terrestrial networks.
By the brand new collaboration, SoftBank and Intelsat plan to collectively develop a hybrid communication resolution that enables customers to remain related by way of accessible networks, whether or not terrestrial or satellite tv for pc, anyplace on the planet with the comfort of 1 machine and one account. The answer will construct on the identical commonplace architectures, interfaces and processes that allow roaming of units between terrestrial mobile networks as we speak and can assist make the business adoption of mobility options based mostly on new 3GPP 5G requirements for non-terrestrial networks a actuality a lot sooner.
One of many key targets of the collaboration is to develop a common machine that may at all times keep related no matter the place on the planet it goes. For instance, a future related automobile outfitted with such a tool will be capable of seamlessly swap to a non-terrestrial satellite tv for pc communication community when outdoors of terrestrial cellular community protection. The focused resolution is anticipated to have huge business applicability, together with in land cellular, maritime, and catastrophe response and restoration.
Design, improvement, area testing and commercialization of recent hybrid community merchandise between Intelsat and SoftBank can be carried out in phases, aligned with the event of the brand new 3GPP 5G non-terrestrial community requirements. The ensuing hybrid options will permit for present satellite tv for pc terminals for use within the close to time period and newer 5G-based terminals as they turn into accessible.
Bruno Fromont, Intelsat Chief Expertise Officer, mentioned:
“Intelsat and SoftBank share a pioneering vision of Ubiquitous Networking and seamless interoperability between satellite and terrestrial networks.”
“Until now, the challenge was aligning standards that allowed the two different networks to connect. With recent progress on 5G-based standardization of non-terrestrial networks led by Intelsat at 3GPP and this strategic collaboration with SoftBank, we are ideally positioned to accelerate the design and practical implementation of commercial hybrid services that will allow devices to freely roam between satellite and terrestrial networks.”
Hideyuki Tsukuda, Govt Vice President and CTO of SoftBank mentioned, “By using technology that switches between terrestrial mobile networks and satellite communication networks through roaming, we can integrate the two previously separate networks and utilize satellite communication as an extension of mobile communication. Through this joint research and development, SoftBank and Intelsat will aim to build a Ubiquitous Network where people and things around the world can be connected to communication anytime, anywhere.”
