Samsung unveils Exynos modem with support for two-way satellite communication

Samsung has joined the race to enable two-way satellite communication on smartphones. The upcoming Exynos Modem 5300 will allow users in very remote areas (or in disaster areas where utilities have been disabled) to communicate with the world using 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN).

The new modem implements the 3GPP Release 17 standard to ensure interoperability with emerging telecommunications networks and hardware and software developed by smartphone manufacturers.

Here is an illustration of how NTN communication works. Your smartphone can send a message to a satellite (and “other non-terrestrial vehicles”), which then send the message back to a ground station, which in turn relays the message to the regular cellular network for other users. receive it.

It is two-way communication, so messages can also flow the other way. And it’s not just text either, in the future users will be able to send high resolution photos and videos via satellite.

This will of course be adopted for smartphones, but Samsung also sees uses in “urban air mobility” vehicles such as flying cars and unmanned aircraft. You don’t want those losing connectivity mid-flight.

Anyway, Samsung also says it is working on Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, which will eliminate the need for a separate high-powered antenna chip inside phones.

“Samsung aims to take the lead in advancing hybrid terrestrial-NTN communications ecosystems around the world in preparation for the arrival of 6G,” said Min Goo Kim, executive vice president of communication processor development at Samsung Electronics. Samsung has been working on 6G for years, and the South Korean government wants prototype 6G networks to be ready by 2026.

As for the here and now, in January Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, which also aims to enable two-way satellite messaging for smartphones. We should start seeing the first such devices in the second half of this year. By the way, Qualcomm is also the originator of Apple’s satellite technology.

Source