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How 5G satellites are revolutionising Mobile Global Connectivity

Today, terrestrial cellular mobile networks provide mobile broadband network access to 95% of the world’s population. However, they only cover 15% of the planet’s surface.

Now, you may think that this is sufficient, and it would be unnecessary to increase reach. But one could argue that that there are arguments in favour of improving both.

In this blog post, I will go over four solid reasons to increase both the geographical coverage gap and the population coverage gap.

 

Geographical and population coverage gaps

Firstly, let’s address the remaining 5% of the world’s population coverage gap. This equates to more than 400 million people who do not have access to mobile broadband connectivity.

As we all know, connectivity brings numerous benefits both to individuals and communities. From enabling access to essential services such as remote healthcare, to fostering economic growth and enhancing social development, cellular coverage plays a crucial role in bridging the digital divide and empowering remote areas.

Secondly, what happens when terrestrial networks go down?

For instance, in natural disasters when the terrestrial cell towers are damaged and cellular coverage is not available. Disaster response capabilities are essential in saving lives in these situations.

Or, if the terrestrial network goes down due to a network outage. A backup network would be very useful.

Thirdly, picture being far away from a terrestrial cellular mobile network in a remote location such as a desert, mountain, or the middle of the ocean. If something goes wrong, you get lost, and you need help. Emergency cellular coverage is essential.

Finally, imagine if you have an IoT product that helps with tracking containers in logistics, or for livestock tracking, pet or animal monitoring (perhaps studying animal behaviour) and you need to apply trackers to do so.

 

Is ubiquitous global connectivity a reality?

For the reasons listed above, amongst others, the global community is demanding ubiquitous worldwide connectivity.

But building these out terrestrially can be challenging for multiple reasons. Geographical characteristics and financial constraints to name only two.

So, the question is – can we achieve this without needing to build more terrestrial network tower coverage?

The answer to this question is yes.

We can, with 5G Satellite technology.

 

The driving forces – when industry standards meet growing market demand

Traditionally, satellite connectivity has been seen as an expensive alternative, reserved for extreme scenarios beyond the reach of conventional mobile or fixed networks. However, two critical factors are now driving the landscape of global telecommunications to the brink of a transformative leap.

Firstly, the 3GPP release 17 includes 5G Satellite technology, also known as NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) into the 5G standards, so-called D2D (Direct-to-Device) specifications, which means that so-called LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites can communicate directly with standard industry consumer phones and IoT devices on earth.

This is because LEO satellites, orbiting at altitudes of between 200 and 2000 km, offer considerably lower latency compared to their Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) counterparts at 35’786 km altitude.

Secondly, the growing industry momentum to address the demand for always-on connectivity is driving innovation in satellite-enabled 5G services. This had led to substantial technological advancements being made in LEO NTNs in the past five years rendering satellite networks far more popular, accessible and understood, which in turn has led to equally substantial investments in LEO infrastructure being made and has subsequently spurred significant media attention.

 

Satellite 2.0 to the rescue?

This is all great so far, but how do terrestrial networks and satellite networks interact with each other and provide that ubiquitous coverage and seamless user experience? Historically, this has always been a big challenge.

This has now been overcome, because the LEO Satellite networks are 3GPP 5G Standards compliant, not only at radio level but also at core network level. This means that both network types will inter-operate with each other in the same way all standard terrestrial MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) do for wholesale roaming, and that is by using the standardised GSMA technical network interfaces and commercial processes for International Wholesale Roaming.

This is where Comfone comes into the picture. We provide exactly the services required to do this.

Ok, let’s summarise briefly, shall we?  We have four very good reasons to bring terrestrial and satellite networks together and we have found a way to make it happen technically.

In other words, we have identified the problems or use cases and we have found the solution, but now what about the money?

 

Show me the money!

As you can imagine, building, launching, operating, and maintaining satellites is very expensive. How will the satellite operators recoup the massive investments that they have made?

Will they sell their connectivity services to consumers and IoT product companies? Maybe yes, but going retail is costly and risky. Perhaps focusing on running a satellite network is enough to worry about.

Revenue generation can come from the MNOs at a wholesale level; after all they have the retail relationships with the consumers, enterprises and IoT companies already. They can upsell the satellite connectivity services to their retail customers and buy it wholesale from the satellite providers. This seems to be the way forward. But how to make this work efficiently?

 

Roaming agreements for Satellite companies

Satellite operators can utilise the standardised GSMA technical network interfaces and commercial processes for International Wholesale Roaming. This is again where Comfone comes in. We facilitate the wholesale roaming interoperability among all terrestrial MNOs and the same between MNOs and satellite operators.

Establishing a Roaming Agreement and launching just one roaming relation encompasses many tasks and takes a lot of time. Once countless tasks are completed to launch a single roaming relation, it afterwards requires careful maintenance and management. Technical network configurations, new service launches, and commercial renegotiations are all part of the operational management of roaming relations.

All this is very time consuming. For satellite operators to achieve their full potential, establishing robust roaming agreements and connections with as many mobile operators worldwide as possible, is crucial. But all this requires a lot of resources and costs.

 

The Comfone Key2roam Platform

Key2raom_Platform

Comfone plays a pivotal role in this ecosystem.

Through our Key2roam Platform we connect and integrate more than 650 CSPs (Communication Service Providers) including terrestrial MNOs, satellite operators, digital services providers and tech firms worldwide.

So, in fact, with our wholesale roaming services, particularly the Key2roam Hub Service, Comfone acts as the interface between the Satellite Service Provider and the MNOs worldwide, thus bridging the gap between terrestrial and satellite networks and enabling the MNOs to offer global satellite network coverage to their retail customers.

 

Pioneers of the 5G Satellite revolution

Companies like SpaceX, through its Starlink service, along with AST SpaceMobile, Lynk, OneWeb, Sateliot, and TeleSat, are leading the charge in this space.

Sateliot’s 5G IoT satellite constellation, for example, promises to improve connectivity for remote farms, mines, water management, forestry, beekeeping, livestock monitoring, remote healthcare and supply chain logistics. As these technologies evolve, they will enhance the Quality of Experience for consumers and IoT solutions alike.

Sateliot’s partnership with Comfone exemplifies this synergy. By leveraging standardised 3GPP and GSMA roaming interfaces, Comfone facilitates the seamless exchange of network traffic between Sateliot and over 650+ MNOs globally. This integration not only optimises network interconnections but also accelerates the formation of commercial partnerships, enabling MNOs to augment their terrestrial networks with satellite connectivity efficiently.

The collaboration between satellite operators and terrestrial network providers is crucial for realising the full potential of 5G satellite connectivity. By establishing comprehensive roaming agreements and leveraging innovative satellite technologies, the telecommunications industry can provide seamless, resilient, and ubiquitous connectivity to users worldwide, shaping the future of global communications.

This in practice means that consumer handsets and IoT devices will seamlessly shift between land-based and satellite networks when out of range of a terrestrial signal – potentially without even knowing it, as long as they have the satellite roaming package from their mobile services provider.

From a user perspective, this means that smartphones and other devices could maintain connectivity in previously unconnected areas, enhancing coverage for underserved users and enabling new IoT applications.

By integrating satellite into global mobile connectivity, we will add a layer of resilience and redundancy to existing mobile networks, ensuring continuity during natural disasters, conflicts, or network outages.

This model promises to enable “everything, everywhere” connectivity, serving as a failover for terrestrial networks and significantly enhancing IoT initiatives.

 

The future of global connectivity – ubiquitous coverage

The integration of 5G satellite networks with terrestrial systems heralds a new era in telecommunications. The potential applications are vast, from enhancing IoT connectivity in remote areas to ensuring continuous communication during disasters.

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About the author

Derek Moser

VP Business Development

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