World’s First Orbiter that allows Smartphones to make direct Satellite Calls | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    World’s First Orbiter that allows Smartphones to make direct Satellite Calls

    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

    Articles Sources

    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/no-need-for-cell-towers-china-has-revolutionised-sma
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