Yahoo Finance Rogers to launch satellite-to-mobile phone technology in 2024 to connect remote areas
Rogers Communications Inc. said it will launch satellite-to-mobile phone technology in 2024 to deliver wireless services to Canada’s remote areas.
The telecommunications company on Dec. 14 unveiled the plan in partnership with Lynk Global Inc. by testing a satellite-to-mobile phone call in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The planned launch in 2024 will start with SMS texting, and will expand to include voice and data, allowing any existing smartphone to connect with 911 services, the telco said.
“We’re bringing coverage to Canada’s most remote areas to improve public safety and to connect communities that aren’t connected today,” chief executive Tony Staffieri said in a press release.
The technology uses Lynk’s low-earth orbit satellites and Rogers’ national wireless spectrum and will work on existing smartphones so customers don’t need to install customized apps or upgrade hardware, Rogers said. This will allow people to make calls where there is no existing terrestrial cellular wireless coverage from any mobile operator, it said.
Rogers said satellite-to-mobile phone technology is not a replacement for areas that have wireless networks, such as urban centres, but that it would act as a complementary service in places without service.
In April, Rogers announced an agreement with Lynk and another with Elon Musk‘s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to bring satellite-to-phone coverage across Canada.
The partnership with SpaceX will use its Starlink low-earth-orbit satellites and Rogers’ national wireless spectrum for the technology, which they said would reach areas beyond the limits of traditional wireless networks. The plan is to start with satellite coverage for SMS text and expand to voice and data, Rogers said in April.
In an email, company spokesperson Cam Gordon said both Lynk and SpaceX are each developing unique low-earth orbit technology to enable 4G VoLTE standards-based mobile devices to work with satellite-to-phone technology to create coverage and capacity.
The two companies have different approaches to solving one problem and are planning on using separate frequencies; each also has its own designs for satellites and for connectivity to the traditional phone networks and to the internet, he said.
• Email: dpaglinawan@postmedia.com
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