MTN SA Chief Technology Officer Rami Farah and Lynk Global Chief Commercial Officer Dan Dooley.
Mobile phone companies MTN SA and Lynk Global yesterday successfully completed technology trials of what they claim is “Africa’s first satellite-to-mobile phone call”.
US-based Lynk Global is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite company that provides direct satellite-to-device solutions.
According to the announcement, the two companies held a telephone conversation in Bleiburg, an agricultural city in the northwest with a population of about 21,000 people.
“The Vryburg call enabled MTN and Lynk Global to test the quality of voice calls and SMS functionality over the LEO satellite connection,” said MTN SA CEO Charles Molapisi.
“This technology trial was part of our efforts to find potential solutions to service delivery challenges in underserved and remote areas.”
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The trial was also part of an effort to demonstrate how MTN’s ground stations can use LEO to complement other infrastructure, Molapisi added.
“The impact of potentially leveraging satellite partnerships goes beyond helping MTN reach its 99% target. broadband It covers the population, but most importantly it benefits all South Africans. ”
Satellite technology is often considered as a solution for providing ubiquitous services. internet Access to remote and difficult-to-reach locations on the African continent.
This has been seen as a complex and expensive form of connectivity, but many countries, including South Africa, are looking to it as a solution to this problem. digital A challenge to dividends.
Rhys Morgan, regional vice president for EMEA at satellite provider Intelsat, told ITWeb that as companies such as SpaceX’s Starlink ramp up their LEO satellite constellation launches, the offer for direct-to-device communications (satellite communications) is becoming a bigger deal.
LEO satellites typically orbit the Earth at an altitude of 160 km to 2,000 km. This means orbital periods range from 90 minutes to several hours. This is suitable for applications that require high-speed data communications or that require frequent revisiting of certain areas. The technology is device-independent, ensuring compatibility with existing mobile units.
The lower the altitude, the faster the signal travels and the shorter the delay. This is very important for real-time communication, video conferencing, and online gaming.
“This is the first satellite-to-unmodified mobile phone call made on the African continent,” said Dan Dooley, chief commercial officer at Lynk Global.
Direct satellite-to-telephone communication has several other potential benefits, including enabling the development of bulk notification capabilities for important alerts such as weather alerts, health advisories, and humanitarian updates.
“By exploring new ways to connect the unconnected using innovative yet accessible technology, the industry is paving the way to an ‘always on’ future where modern connected life is accessible to all,” said Dooley.
