QUANTUM LEAP NEWSLETTER

Nokia to build the first-ever 4G cellular network on the Moon

Yeah, you heard that right. While a majority of the cellular networks have yet to switch to next-gen 5G connectivity here on Earth, the moon is about to go straight to 4G — the bigger question is what was the need to take up such an ambitious endeavor? And the simple answer is NASA is sending the next manned mission to the moon in 2024 and looking for a permanent lunar base that would need connectivity to function smoothly.

NASA has contracted Nokia Bell Labs’ to deploy the first ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened, end-to-end LTE solution on the lunar surface in late 2022. Nokia is partnering with Intuitive Machines for this mission to integrate this groundbreaking network into its lunar lander and deliver it to the lunar surface. The network will self-configure upon deployment and establish the first LTE communications system on the Moon.

This is even more significant considering NASA found definitive proof of Water in lunar soil recently. Nokia’s LTE network — the precursor to 5G — is ideally suited for providing wireless connectivity for any activity that astronauts need to carry out, enabling voice and video communications capabilities, telemetry and biometric data exchange, and deployment and control of robotic and sensor payloads. I wish…