2020-03-18

Lynk first to connect satellite directly to standard mobile phones on earth

Source: www.businesswire.com
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

(Lynk Global, Inc.) today announced that it has successfully connected a satellite in low-Earth orbit to an ordinary mobile phone on Earth. The technical breakthrough enabled Lynk to send the world’s first ever text message from space to a mobile phone. This milestone, witnessed by independent third-party observers, represents the critical, industry-first next step for Lynk’s ultimate vision to use satellites to provide broadband services directly to over five billion mobile phones on the planet, everywhere. This breakthrough represents a key step in advancing Lynk’s vision to provide universal broadband connectivity to the over five billion people who have mobile phones but cannot access wireless signals everywhere. Lynk has solved what was widely considered an impossible problem in a one trillion-dollar-a-year global industry — how to provide connectivity to mobile phones across the planet, when it is cost-prohibitive to build and operate cell towers everywhere, especially in less populated areas. Lynk's technology solves this problem of providing mobile broadband coverage everywhere on Earth, a $300-400 billion a year opportunity.

Lynk’s breakthrough will provide emergency responders with assured mission-critical communications during natural disasters when traditional ground-based cellular networks are down. Talks with FirstNet officials are currently taking place.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200318005113/en/Lynk-Connect-Satellite-Standard-Mobile-Phones-Earth/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-R2sso4tCp8l0Yad2mB4_VJcgiwDl5F89IquLVWUqfRVgLxDkSKfgoruKb9yWl5as-PbWreMWuYBefATrZ0EPTVwBy5zzcjujtbJhwuWD3GRBSvR87oUDgbHejiywQBpbg==