SoftBank Corp. and Intelsat Launch Landmark Collaboration to Create Ubiquitous Network
September 16 2024 - 8:00PM
Business Wire
SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) and Intelsat signed a groundbreaking
collaboration agreement that will lead to the launch of a single
“Ubiquitous Network” enabling customers to stay connected
everywhere they go. SoftBank and Intelsat will jointly lead
research and development of seamless 5G connections between
terrestrial mobile networks and satellite communications
networks.
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In a society where everyone and everything is increasingly
dependent on staying connected, convenient, and always-on,
telecommunications are essential. However, despite the coming
realization of autonomous mobility with automobiles, ships, drones
and other vehicles, many areas are still without ground-based
mobile network coverage and require separate devices and accounts
to connect to non-terrestrial networks.
Through the new collaboration, SoftBank and Intelsat plan to
jointly develop a hybrid communication solution that allows users
to stay connected via available networks, whether terrestrial or
satellite, anywhere in the world with the convenience of one device
and one account. The solution will build on the same standard
architectures, interfaces and processes that enable roaming of
devices between terrestrial cellular networks today and will help
make the commercial adoption of mobility solutions based on new
3GPP 5G standards for non-terrestrial networks a reality much
sooner.
One of the key goals of the collaboration is to develop a
universal device that will always stay connected regardless of
where in the world it goes. For example, a future connected vehicle
equipped with such a device will be able to seamlessly switch to a
non-terrestrial satellite communication network when outside of
terrestrial mobile network coverage. The targeted solution is
expected to have wide commercial applicability, including in land
mobile, maritime, and disaster response and recovery.
Design, development, field testing and commercialization of new
hybrid network products between Intelsat and SoftBank will be
conducted in phases, aligned with the development of the new 3GPP
5G non-terrestrial network standards. The resulting hybrid
solutions will allow for existing satellite terminals to be used in
the near term and newer 5G-based terminals as they become
available.
“Intelsat and SoftBank share a pioneering vision of Ubiquitous
Networking and seamless interoperability between satellite and
terrestrial networks,” said Bruno Fromont, Intelsat Chief
Technology Officer. “Until now, the challenge was aligning
standards that allowed the two different networks to connect. With
recent progress on 5G-based standardization of non-terrestrial
networks led by Intelsat at 3GPP and this strategic collaboration
with SoftBank, we are ideally positioned to accelerate the design
and practical implementation of commercial hybrid services that
will allow devices to freely roam between satellite and terrestrial
networks.”
Hideyuki Tsukuda, Executive Vice President and CTO of SoftBank
said, "By using technology that switches between terrestrial mobile
networks and satellite communication networks through roaming, we
can integrate the two previously separate networks and utilize
satellite communication as an extension of mobile communication.
Through this joint research and development, SoftBank and Intelsat
will aim to build a Ubiquitous Network where people and things
around the world can be connected to communication anytime,
anywhere."
About Intelsat
Intelsat’s global team of professionals is focused on providing
seamless and secure, satellite-based communications to government,
NGO and commercial customers through the company’s next-generation
worldwide network and managed services. Bridging the digital divide
by operating one of the world’s largest and most advanced satellite
fleet and connectivity infrastructures, Intelsat enables people and
their tools to speak over oceans, see across continents and listen
through the skies to communicate, cooperate and coexist. Since its
founding six decades ago, the company has been synonymous with
satellite-industry “firsts” in service to its customers and the
planet. Leaning on a legacy of innovation and focusing on
addressing a new generation of challenges Intelsat team members now
have their sights on the “next firsts” in space as they disrupt the
field and lead in the digital transformation of the industry.
About SoftBank Corp.
Guided by the SoftBank Group’s corporate philosophy,
“Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone,” SoftBank Corp.
(TOKYO: 9434) operates telecommunications and IT businesses in
Japan and globally. In the fiscal year ended March 2024, SoftBank
Corp. registered 6,084.0 billion yen of revenue, 876.1 billion yen
of operating income and 489.1 billion yen of net income. SoftBank
Corp. has 40 million mobile subscribers in Japan, and through its
group companies, 63 million smartphone payment (PayPay) users, 85
million online media (Yahoo! JAPAN) users and 97 million
communication app (LINE) users (as of May 9, 2024). Building on its
strong business foundation, SoftBank Corp. is expanding into
non-telecom fields in line with its “Beyond Carrier” growth
strategy while further growing its telecom business by harnessing
the power of 5G/6G, IoT, Digital Twin and Non-Terrestrial Network
(NTN) solutions, including High Altitude Platform Station
(HAPS)-based stratospheric telecommunications. While constructing
AI data centers and developing homegrown LLMs specialized for the
Japanese language with 1 trillion parameters, SoftBank is applying
AI to enhance radio access network performance (AI-RAN) with the
aim of becoming a provider of next-generation social
infrastructure. In recognition of its ESG initiatives, SoftBank
Corp. was selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability
World Index (DJSI World) for 2022 and 2023, achieving the highest
score in Japan and registering as the only company in the country
to be selected for the Telecommunication Services industry group in
2023. To learn more, please visit https://www.softbank.jp/en/.
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Melissa Longo - melissa.longo@intelsat.com; +1 240-308-1881