When Innovation becomes sustainable – Sky and Space Global conducted first ever voice call using its nano satellites

Friday 29 September 2017, 08:30 – 09:00
Location: Adelaide Convention Center – Hall C

First ever voice call has been successfully conducted using nano-satellite technology, a standard smartphone and SAS proprietary hardware and application.

Performing the first ever phone call facilitated by nano-satellites marks a major milestone for the telecoms and satellite communications industries.

This technology will enable the delivery of low cost satellite connectivity in remote locations and emerging markets that have no access to a communications network infrastructure.

Until recently nano-satellites have been predominantly used for earth observation and imagery but with advancements in miniature space technology their capabilities have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years. Sky and Space Global is the first company to successfully use narrowband connectivity provided by nano-satellites to deliver a voice call.

What is unique about the Sky and Space Global service offering is that it delivers phone call, text and data services at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellite communications providers.

Along with enabling a voice call, the 3 Diamonds Nano-satellites, which Sky and Space Global launched into space in late June 2017, have also demonstrated their capability to facilitate the exchange of text messages, voice recordings and images between different users. As part of this process, SAS has successfully tested the “store and forward” capability of its technology, which includes sending a message to the satellite, keeping it in satellite memory and downloading it to a receiver.

The company has also demonstrated that its services can provide indoor connectivity, by enabling users to install a Radio Frequency (RF) section on a roof top or another outdoor area and connecting it to an indoor Wi-Fi hot-spot to add multiple users to the network.