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Posted 15 Apr 2024

2 min read

  • Chinese scientists have developed world’s first satellite series (Tiantong-1) capable of enabling smartphone calls without the need for ground-based infrastructure such as Base Transceiver Station (BTSs) or cellular towers.

 

  • About Chinese Satellite Communication Technology (SCT)
    • Tiantong-1 series of satellites consist of three satellites placed in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of ~36000 km, covering entire Asia-Pacific region from Middle East to the Pacific Ocean.
      • Geosynchronous orbit is a special position high above the Earth that allows an object to keep pace with the rotation our planet.
    • In Sep 2023, Huawei Technologies released the world’s first smartphone that supported satellite calls, by directly connecting to the Tiantong satellites.

 

Satellite Communication Technology in India

  • Under Telecommunications Act, 2023 satellite communication companies can get spectrum without auction for point-to-point communications.
  • Department of Telecommunication (DoT) issues Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) Licenses for satellite telephony.
    • Earlier, Bharati Group and Reliance Group have been issued GMPCS license.
  • Significance of SCT
    • Accessibility: Seamless and ubiquitous access to communication services in remote, rural, and hard-to-reach areas.
    • Contingency planning: SCT can be crucial during natural disasters or other emergencies when terrestrial networks may be damaged or disrupted.
    • Military and Defense applications: Can enable secure and reliable communication, navigation, surveillance, and intelligence gathering.

 

  • Concerns associated with SCT: Space debris and orbital congestion, regulatory and governance challenges due to issues of international coordination and liability, cyber threats such as jamming, spoofing, etc.
  • Tags :
  • SATCOM
  • Satellite Communication
  • Satellite Telephony
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