Leading technology company vivo presented its cutting-edge satellite communication prototype at the prestigious Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Shanghai. The event, which served as a platform for industry innovators and pioneers to share their latest insights into the progression and future of connectivity technologies, witnessed the introduction of this groundbreaking invention.
The prototype, built upon the Vivo X90 Pro+ smartphone with custom modifications to the original smartphone, is designed to support 3GPP R17 non-terrestrial network (NTN) two-way satellite communications. This innovative device employs an integrated radio frequency (RF) baseband solution and an internal antenna, compatible with both the Inmarsat and Tiantong-1 satellite systems, and supports dual-frequency n255/n256.
Despite significant advancements in mobile network coverage across various regions, there are still areas, particularly in Mindanao, where access remains a challenge. Vivo’s satellite communication technology aims to bridge this gap, enabling users to transmit and receive information even in locations without terrestrial cellular network coverage, such as wildernesses, oceans, deserts, and forests.
Vivo’s prototype is powered by the industry-first satellite communication system-on-a-chip (SoC), dubbed V8821, which is set to enter mass production shortly.
The V8821 is designed to communicate via L-band Inmarsat satellites and S-band Tiantong satellites. It has the potential to be extended to support other high-orbiting satellite systems, thereby addressing communication needs in remote and hard-to-reach areas such as oceans, urban fringes, and mountainous regions that traditional cellular networks fail to cover.
Moreover, the V8821 brings flexibility in hardware configuration, allowing customers to repurpose existing hardware resources. This enhances deployment efficiency while circumventing the high costs and time consumption.