Qualcomm, Thales and Ericsson plan to take 5G into outer space

French aerospace company Thales, Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson are planning to take 5G into space and across a network of Earth-orbiting satellites.

The collaboration plans to enter smartphone-use-case-focused testing and validation of satellite-based 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN). This would mean that a future 5G smartphone could use the next-gen connectivity anywhere on Earth and provide complete global coverage for wideband data services.

The testing and validation following the March 2022 go-ahead by the 3GPP global telecommunications standards' body is intended to support non-terrestrial networks for the first time, the companies said in a press release on Monday.

"This testing and validation cooperation between Ericsson, Thales and Qualcomm Technologies will be a major milestone in the history of communications as the ultimate result could effectively mean that no matter where you are on Earth – in the middle of an ocean or the remotest forest – high-end, secure and cost-effective connectivity will be available through collaborative 5G satellite and terrestrial connectivity," said Erik Ekudden, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson.

"While it is too early to say when any resulting 5G equipped prototype satellite could be launched into orbit for real operational use, the highly technical ground-based testing and validation work planned between Ericsson, Thales and Qualcomm Technologies is key to making it happen," he added.

The benefits of 5G connectivity via low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are expected to include coverage in extreme geographies or remote areas across seas, oceans and other locations where terrestrial coverage is absent. The network could also be used as backup support to terrestrial networks in the event of major network outages or disasters.

With @ericsson, @Qualcomm and @thalesgroup the future of 5G is out of this world 🚀No matter where you are on Earth – high-end, secure and cost-effective connectivity will be available through collaborative 5G satellite and terrestrial connectivity.➡️ https://t.co/l5Bzl32vJU pic.twitter.com/736eu877Uh

— Thales Group (@thalesgroup) July 11, 2022