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Tag: satellite communications

  • Five Firms Sign Agreement to Develop Satellite Mega-Constellation

    Five Firms Sign Agreement to Develop Satellite Mega-Constellation

    NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS signed an agreement with four major corporations to explore developing and operating a satellite mega-constellation for commercial communications and space-based computing.

    The five-company partnership unites NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Mitsubishi Electric Inc., NTT Inc., MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Development Bank of Japan Inc. To pool technology, customer networks, and financing.

    Under the memorandum of understanding, the group is evaluating the commercial and technical viability of orbital network infrastructure. Target services include telecommunications, Earth observation, positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), alongside space data centers designed to process data directly in orbit.

    Splitting Infrastructure Across Five Balances

    The consortium divides responsibilities along established corporate lines. NTT and NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS handle end-to-end network architecture, routing satellite traffic into ground facilities, and testing NTT’s proprietary Innovative Optical and Wireless Network optical technology against international specifications.

    The alliance aims to sell services to domestic and overseas enterprise clients across manufacturing operations.

    In order to turn the vast amounts of data collected in space into value for industry and society, it is essential to ensure smooth coordination between the communications networks that deliver the data and the ICT infrastructure used to process and analyze the data. Using the expertise we have developed through our IOWN® initiative and our AI-Centric ICT Platform® concept for a next-generation ICT platform optimized for the AI era, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS looks forward to working with the other participating companies to explore commercial opportunities in areas including satellite communications and space-based data centers. By creating communications and data-utilization infrastructure that connect space and Earth, we hope to support AI adoption by enterprises for new business development.

    What Orbital Computing Changes for Operators

    Telecom operators face flattening domestic mobile average revenue per user and rising terrestrial infrastructure expenses. Building an independent sovereign satellite network allows NTT to bypass foreign constellation operators for enterprise backhaul, maritime fleet monitoring, and rural redundancy.

    For logistics operators, space-based data centers offer lower-latency observation feeds for trade flows and factory asset tracking without depending on fragmented local fiber routes across developing markets. The central commercial risk rests on unit launch economics, where Western constellation operators hold cost advantages through reusable rocket fleets that heavy industry has yet to match at scale.

    From Ground Fiber to Orbital Routing

    NTT had already mapped its optical network architecture toward low-power data center routing, making space payloads a natural technical extension rather than a pivot.

    The five companies are now formulating technical baselines and enterprise partner frameworks, with initial feasibility studies for constellation communications and Earth observation services to follow.

  • KDDI Expands Starlink Direct Satellite Access to the Philippines and New Zealand

    KDDI Expands Starlink Direct Satellite Access to the Philippines and New Zealand

    Japanese carrier KDDI and Okinawa Cellular expanded their au Starlink Direct satellite service on August 31 to cover the Philippines and New Zealand.

    The cross-border rollout adds two Asia-Pacific destinations to an international coverage footprint that previously included only the United States and Canada.

    Direct satellite links for travellers

    Subscribers to KDDI’s satellite service in Japan can now access low-Earth orbit connectivity in remote areas across both partner markets without paying extra fees or filing advance applications. The service links directly with Starlink Mobile technology when users have a clear view of the sky, enabling text messaging, location sharing, and supported light data applications in regions where terrestrial cellular networks do not reach.

    Local carriers Globe Telecom in Manila and Spark in Auckland are serving as the operational partners for the rollout. Philippine coverage targets remote island corridors and dive destinations such as El Nido on Palawan Island, while New Zealand access focuses on national parks and backcountry wilderness areas.

    “By enabling access to Starlink Mobile’s satellite-powered text and light data services when overseas, we’re helping travelers stay connected in places where traditional mobile coverage isn’t available,” Spark Chief Customer Officer Mark Beder said.

    Regional race for direct-to-cell coverage

    Mobile operators across the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly turning to low-Earth orbit satellite constellations to eliminate dead zones across archipelagos and rugged terrain without building expensive land towers. By routing signals directly between standard consumer smartphones and satellites in orbit, carriers can maintain emergency contact channels for inbound tourists and rural communities without requiring dedicated satellite handsets.

    Globe and Spark are working to expand two-way satellite roaming for their own domestic customers as Starlink prepares broader direct-to-cell capabilities across the wider region.