Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
China launched new test satellites aboard the Long March-2D rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan to validate internet technology via direct broadband connection between satellite and mobile phone, without the need for terrestrial towers, on the 639th mission of the Long March series.
China has orbited a new set of satellites designed to test technology that could change how billions of people access the internet. The Long March-2D rocket lifted off at 2:35 PM (Beijing time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, successfully placing the satellites into their predefined orbits.
The mission has a specific objective: to validate direct broadband connectivity between satellite and mobile phone. If the technology works at scale, it will allow ordinary devices to receive internet directly from space, without relying on cell towers or terrestrial antennas.
The satellites will also test the integration between space and terrestrial networks. This combination is what would allow a mobile phone to automatically switch between tower signal and satellite signal, ensuring connection in rural areas, oceans, deserts, and mountainous regions where terrestrial infrastructure does not reach.
-
China has set up a serial production line for rockets: the new factory in Shaoxing will deliver up to 12 units of the Lijian-2 per year and marks the shift of the Chinese space sector from tests to industrial-scale production.
-
NASA already knows where it will sink the International Space Station: a place so isolated that the closest humans might be in orbit.
-
Scientists create miniature quantum battery that uses a laser to charge almost instantly and could forever change the future of energy storage
-
Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.
The launch marked the 639th mission of the Long March series rockets, a family of vehicles that has supported the Chinese space program for decades.
What it means to connect internet directly from satellite to mobile phone without a tower
The technology China is testing with these satellites eliminates the intermediary between space and the user’s pocket. Today, mobile internet relies on a chain: the signal goes from the satellite to terrestrial stations, from the stations to cell towers, and only then reaches the device.
In direct satellite-to-phone connection, the mobile phone communicates with the satellite without needing a tower in between. This transforms any point on the planet with a view of the sky into a potential coverage area.
The practical impact is enormous. It is estimated that about 3 billion people worldwide live in regions without reliable mobile internet coverage. Rural areas in developing countries, riverside communities, polar regions, and vessels on the high seas are examples of places where cell towers simply do not exist.
Direct satellite internet to mobile phones would solve this problem without requiring the construction of terrestrial infrastructure, an investment that in many cases is economically unfeasible due to the low population density of underserved regions.
Who else is in the race for direct satellite internet to mobile phones
China is not alone in this race. The competition for direct satellite-to-mobile connection involves companies and governments from various countries.
SpaceX is already testing its Direct to Cell service with the Starlink constellation, in partnership with T-Mobile in the United States. Apple integrated emergency satellite communication into iPhones starting with model 14. AST SpaceMobile, an American company, launched commercial satellites to offer broadband via ordinary mobile phones.
In Europe, the European Space Agency funds hybrid connectivity projects. Qualcomm, the largest manufacturer of mobile phone chips, has already developed a satellite-signal-compatible modem integrated into Snapdragon processors.
The differential of the Chinese test lies in the scale the country can achieve. China has the world’s largest mobile internet user population and a satellite manufacturing industry that produces at an industrial pace, a combination that allows it to test and deploy the technology faster than smaller competitors.
What’s missing for satellite internet to work on everyday cell phones
The technological validation that the satellites launched from Xichang will perform is a necessary step before any commercial operation. Several technical challenges still need to be resolved.
The main one is transmission speed. Low-orbit satellites move at thousands of kilometers per hour relative to the ground, and maintaining a stable connection with a cell phone that has a small antenna and limited power requires signal engineering that is still being perfected.
Latency (the time between sending and receiving data) is also a factor. Even in low orbit, the distance between the satellite and the cell phone adds milliseconds that make a noticeable difference in applications like video calls and online games.
Another challenge is the ability to serve millions of users simultaneously. A cell tower serves hundreds of devices at the same time. A satellite covering an area of thousands of square kilometers would need to serve millions, and the available bandwidth per user decreases as the number of connections increases.
The tests China is currently conducting serve precisely to measure these limits and define what is viable for commercial operation and what still needs development.
Why the integration between space and terrestrial networks is the key to the internet of the future
The satellites launched from Xichang are not just testing direct connection. They are also testing the integration between space and terrestrial networks, a concept that experts consider more realistic than a complete replacement of towers.
In practice, the cell phone would use the tower when available and switch to the satellite when out of terrestrial coverage. The transition would be automatic, without the user noticing that the network has changed.
This hybrid model takes advantage of the best of both worlds. Cell towers offer high speed and low latency in urban areas. Satellites ensure universal coverage in areas where building towers does not make economic sense.
Integration requires standardization that international bodies like 3GPP (responsible for 4G and 5G standards) are already developing. The 5G Release 17 standard included specifications for satellite communication with terrestrial networks.
China is testing this integration with the satellites launched from Xichang to validate if the technology works in practice, not just in laboratory simulations. The results will define the pace of commercial deployment of a service that, if it works at scale, could connect the 3 billion people who are currently outside mobile coverage to the internet.
And you, would you use satellite internet directly on your cell phone? Do you think the technology will reach Brazil? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Be the first to react!