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Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile unveil launch plans for space-based mobile network initially reaching 1.6 billion people

Editor — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 13:29:11 +0000

Vodacom Group Media release https://www.vodacom.com/news-article.php?articleID=7592

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile unveil launch plans for space-based mobile network initially reaching 1.6 billion people

Thursday, 17 December 2020

•AST & Science LLC (“AST SpaceMobile”) secures necessary funding for first phase commercial launch of space-based mobile network.

•Project aims to transform mobile network coverage for the 49 largest countries in the equatorial regions – including Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania – from 2023.

•SpaceMobile will be the first space-based mobile network to connect directly to 4G and 5G smartphones without any need for specialized hardware.

TEXAS, LONDON, JOHANNESBURG – December 17, 2020 – AST SpaceMobile, in partnership with Vodafone Group, today unveiled plans to launch the first phase of its space-based commercial mobile communications service in 2023. The company has secured the necessary funding to take the venture to this next stage, which will cover the 49 largest countries in the equatorial regions.

Vodafone wants to ensure that our customers are always connected and everyone benefits from a digital society. This is why we are a lead, strategic partner of AST SpaceMobile, which is uniquely positioned to provide universal mobile coverage to rural areas in Africa, and in the future, Europe, further extending our leading network. The space-based mobile network will also enable us to provide instant communications in the event of a natural or humanitarian disaster.

AST SpaceMobile will be the first service of its kind to connect standard mobile phones at 4G and 5G speeds using AST SpaceMobile’s patented space-based network. Today, more than five billion mobile subscribers constantly move in and out of wireless coverage, and AST SpaceMobile’s solution will fill these coverage gaps to enable people to stay connected whilst on the move. This is a significant breakthrough in helping to bring affordable mobile connectivity to more than half of the world’s population that do not have internet on their phone. Traditional satellite systems require expensive specialized satellite phones or ground antenna systems, which is different to AST SpaceMobile’s patented technology, where all that is needed is the phone in your pocket.

The first tranche of AST SpaceMobile’s launch plans will involve the use of 20 satellites to offer seamless, low-latency mobile connectivity that can be accessed by approximately 1.6 billion people across a vast geographical region. The initial service will target an area North and South of the equator, including rural and remote areas of a number of markets where Vodafone will integrate the technology into the services provided by its Vodacom, Safaricom and Vodafone brands. Subject to regulatory approval in each market, these will include DRC; Ghana; Mozambique; Kenya; and Tanzania. AST SpaceMobile will also apply for regulatory approval to launch the service in India.

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Indian Army:Media articles on employment of microwave weapons in Eastern Ladakh are baseless. The news is FAKE.

Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 07:17:50 +0000

Media articles on employment of microwave weapons in Eastern Ladakh are baseless. The news is FAKE. pic.twitter.com/Lf5AGuiCW0
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) November 17, 2020

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Rakuten, Telefonica Deutschland on Jio 5G: Difficult to build everything on own; partner approach must for telcos

Editor — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 12:33:23 +0000

Danish Khan ETTelecom September 20, 2020, 10:25 IST

NEW DELHI: Japan’s Rakuten Mobile and Germany’s Telefonica Deutschland said that telecom operators shouldn’t really look at developing everything on their own rather bring in partners to develop technologies and solutions.

Rakuten Mobile chief technology officer Tareq Amin said that it is impossible to develop everything internally or have skill sets that cover everything end-to-end.

“Telefonica developed the entire prepaid in house…unless it is adopted globally, unless you have a scale, you can’t sustain over a longer period. My belief is any solution should be at least regional, at least global, if not universal across the world,” he said in a fireside session at the event.

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Vestaspace to launch 35 satellites for pan-India 5G connectivity

Editor — Tue, 26 May 2020 18:55:44 +0000

ETTelecom May 26, 2020, 15:35 IST

New Delhi: Commercial space-tech company Vestaspace Technology will launch 35+ 5G satellites this September for pilot to build 5G speed network connections and IoT functionalities for industries.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said it will release beta version of satellite constellations pan-India in September and fully-operational version early next year into Low-Earth-Orbit or Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit.

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India: Supreme Court will hear petitions about mobile tower radiation in November

Editor — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 12:17:44 +0000

New Delhi, September 14

Maitri Porecha https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/sc-admits-pleas-against-mobile-tower-radiation/article24949596.ece

Apex court to hear petitions of actor Juhi Chawla, five others in Nov

New Delhi, September 14

The Supreme Court on Friday accepted actor Juhi Chawla’s plea demanding tighter norms governing cell phone tower radiation. The court will hear the petition in November, along with the pleas of five others.

“Unfettered and unregulated installation of towers/antennae pose hazardous health risks and impinge upon the right to health, environment, and life with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution,” Chawla’s petition states.

All the petitions pertain to issues arising from rampant illegal installation of the towers and antennae, and the absence of adequate laws and regulatory norms.

“A few of the petitioners and their relatives are victims of and continue to suffer from varying degrees of health-related issues. There is a direct correlation between the rising clusters of towers/antennae installed all over the country, especially with the advent of 3G and 4G, and the deteriorating health of those persons who are directly exposed to these towers at long stretches of time,” states the petition.

Medical Evidence

This comes at a time when the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is reviewing the interim results of a study on the effects of cell phones and radiation on subjects.

“Our interim results at the end of three years reveal that there are biological changes in the human body due to use of cellphones. Whether or not these changes are hazardous to health remains to be seen. We will only know after five-year data is studied,” said RS Sharma, a senior scientist at ICMR.

The ICMR is shadowing multiple volunteer subjects as they continue using cellphones for various periods of time. It has also been facilitating their annual body check-up, including detailed tests such as blood samples, PET and bone scans, to detect biological changes in their body at a cellular level.

“Department of Telecommunications (DoT) favored telcos”

A Parliamentary committee had earlier found that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had selectively accepted studies that favoured the interests of telecom companies and higher power-density limits, while completely ignoring studies that had concluded that electro-magnetic frequency (EMF) radiation from cell phones and cell-phone towers might be causing health risks to humans, flora and fauna.

Times of India: Juhi moves SC against mushrooming of mobile towers https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/65814882.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Excerpts:

“in order to reduce the harmful effects of radiation, either the power output norms should be reduced or the distance limit (from tower to residences,schools, hospitals, etc.) should be increased.”“The present EMF radiation from towers/ antennae lead to an increase in incidents of headache, sleep disorder, fatigue, lack of concentration, dizziness, decreased reaction times, memory loss, infertility, miscarriage, vision and cardiovascular problems, malaise, tachycardia (heart palpitations), disturbances of the digestive system, DNA damage including permanent damage to repair capability of DNA repair, brain tumours and cancer in human beings, which in turn will create unprecedented, irreparable and immense loss to the health, well being and fitness of the public at large in our country”

The advisory guidelines as well as the additional guidelines issued so far by the Department of Telecom are merely advisory in nature and have no statutory backing.

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Safety limits and the deployment of the 5G MIMO towers

Editor — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 12:27:44 +0000

Re-posted from Between a Rock And a Hard Place by Dariusz Leszczynski

Safety limits and the deployment of the 5G MIMO towers

Will the deployment of the 5G MIMO towers in India will be challenging because of the lower safety limits for emissions from cell towers? India has implemented safety limits for emissions of radiation from cell towers that are 1/10 of the ICNIRP guidelines. Presentation by Christer Törnevik, Senior Expert, EMF and Health, Ericsson Research, Stockholm, at the TU Workshop on 5G, EMF & Health Warsaw, December 5 2017, shows the problem: S3_Christer_Tornevik

Below is shown the distribution of radiation from 5G MIMO tower, located on the top of the high-rise building, when the radiation limit is 1/10 of the ICNIRP guidelines.In this setting placing 5G MIMO cell tower on top of the building is not possible without breaking the exposure limits in the apartments located at the top levels of the building.

Below is the distribution of radiation from 5G MIMO tower, located on the top of the high-rise building, when the radiation limit is 1/100 of the ICNIRP guidelines. In this setting placing 5G MIMO cell tower on top of the building is impossible without breaking the exposure limits.

Those who wondered why the industry does not ask ICNIRP to lower exposure limits when the devices emit only fraction of allowed radiation level. This is the reason why the telecom industry is resistant to ideas of lowering exposure limits even if the currently used devices would allow to do so. One never knows what the power will be needed for the devices developed in the future.

Example of the problem is as illustrated above from India. Citizens complained about cell tower radiation. Limits were lowered. Now there will be problems with 5G deployment. It is “easy” to lower the limit but it is very difficult to bring it back to higher level when needed…

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