Page 83 - SAMENA Trends - Oct-Nov 2023

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

China Lobs Tech Demo into Orbit for People's Republic Version of Starlink

China has launched an Internet used for the nation's version of mega- Satellite Launch Center on July 9. As with
Technology test satellite from the constellations, such as Starlink and the yesterday's launch, the payload's purpose
Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's soon-to-be-launched Project Kuiper. was to "carry out test missions for satellite
Sichuan Province. The Long March 2D Although the dimensions of the satellite internet technologies." While Chinese
rocket launched at 1800 Beijing Time remain shrouded in mystery – China only authorities claimed a single satellite
(1000 UTC) on November 23, marking the confirmed the mission once the payload was launched on the July 9 mission,
498th mission of the Long March carrier was successfully launched – the Long two objects have since been cataloged.
rocket series. It is China's 54th rocket March 2D is capable of sending a 1.3-ton Although not confirmed by authorities, it's
launch this year, according to China spacecraft into a Sun-synchronous orbit likely that the technology being tested is
Daily. China's various media mouthpieces with an altitude of 700km. Another payload, for China's mega-constellation project,
said the payload consisted of a single also dubbed the "Space-based Internet named Guowang. Guowang is planned to
satellite, and its description suggests the Technology Demonstrator," was launched consist of thousands of satellites in low
purpose is for testing technology to be on a Long March 2C from the Jiuquan Earth orbit to facilitate telecommunication
and internet coverage. It is, however, taking
a while to set up. According to Shanghai
Securities News, in 2021 Bao Weimin, a
member of the National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference and director of the Science and
Technology Committee of the Aerospace
Science and Technology Group, said:
"We are planning and developing space
internet satellites, and have launched test
satellites." More than two years later, it
appears testing is still under way. However,
it means astronomers will soon have even
more objects in the sky to worry about
should Guowang proceed as planned.

Jio Showcases Satellite Service, Claims Over a Million 5G Sites

Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) has provide high speed broadband services Jorhat (Assam). The satellite system also
successfully demonstrated what it claims to ‘previously inaccessible geographies’ supports additional capacity for mobile
to be India’s first satellite-based gigabit in India, and is currently available in backhaul, ‘enhancing the availability
broadband service. The platform – four locations: Gir (Gujarat), Korba and scale’ of Jio’s 5G network. Jio notes
named ‘JioSpaceFiber’ – enables Jio to (Chhattisgarh), Nabarangpur (Odisha) and that it has partnered with SES to provide
the service, granting it access to the
latter’s medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite
constellation. Meanwhile, Jio has also
confirmed that it has deployed over one
million 5G cell sites nationwide – including
over 150,000 using both the 700MHz
and 3500MHz bands – covering around
8,000 cities and towns. The operator also
claimed that its 4G-enabled ‘JioBharat’
handsets had gained ‘substantial market
share in the non-smartphone segment’
since its launch in July this year. The
JioBharat initiative aims to encourage
the migration of the roughly 250 million
Indians using devices restricted to 2G
networks to 4G-enabled handsets.

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