Samsung Electronics announced on February 23 that it has secured a standardized extraterrestrial network (NTN) modem technology. 5G for direct communication between smartphones and satellites, especially in remote areas.
Samsung plans to integrate this technology into its Exynos modem solutions, accelerating the commercialization of 5G satellite communications and paving the way for a 6G Internet of Everything (IoE) era.
“This milestone builds on our rich heritage in wireless technology, which came from the introduction of the industry’s first commercial 4G LTE modem in 2009 and the industry’s first 5G modem in 2018,” said Min Goo Kim, Executive Vice President of CP (communication processor). Developed by Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to taking the lead in developing NTN hybrid terrestrial communications ecosystems around the world in preparation for the advent of 6G.”
NTN is a communications technology that uses satellites and other extraterrestrial vehicles to provide communications in regions previously inaccessible to terrestrial networks, whether over mountains, deserts, or in the middle of the ocean. It will also be important to ensure operability in disaster areas and enable future urban air mobility (UAM) such as drones and flying cars.
Compliant with the latest 5G NTN standards defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP Release 3), Samsung NTN technology will help ensure the interoperability and scalability of services offered by global carriers, mobile device manufacturers and chip companies.
For highly reliable NTN communications with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Samsung has developed and modeled satellite technology based on the 5G NTN standard using its Exynos Modem 5300 reference platform to accurately predict satellite positions and minimize frequency offset errors caused by Doppler shift. Based on this technology, future Samsung Exynos modems will support two-way text messaging, as well as high-definition video and image sharing.
In addition, Samsung plans to secure NTN’s standardized NB-IoT technology for use in its next-generation modem platforms. With built-in satellite connectivity, Samsung’s NB-IoT solutions will eliminate the need for a separate, high-power wireless antenna chip inside smartphones, giving mobile device manufacturers much more design flexibility.
Source: Digital Trends
