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Recently, Huawei once again made an innovative breakthrough in the field of satellite communications. Their Pura 70 series mobile phones are further upgraded on the basis of the original dual satellite communication, and support Beidou satellite image messaging. This means that in the case of outdoor adventures, emergency rescue, etc., even if there is no signal and no network, users can send picture messages through their mobile phones to achieve two-way communication with the recipient. The information also includes key information such as geographic location. The introduction of this technology is significant for outdoor adventures and emergency relief efforts.
It is reported that in 2024, mainstream manufacturers are actively deploying technologies related to satellite communications. In scenarios that require emergency rescue, such as injury, getting lost, vehicle breakdown, or encountering bad weather, the receiver can get a more intuitive understanding of the sender's surroundings and personnel through photos.
In addition, SpaceX has also made significant progress in the field of satellite communications. They recently launched the second batch of 6 mobile phone direct connection satellites, and SpaceX successfully sent the first text message through the Starlink satellite, which can be directly connected to the satellite without changing mobile phones.
The direct connection of mobile phones to satellites is expected to fundamentally solve the problem of insufficient coverage of terrestrial communication networks, and is the key to realizing the integrated communication of air, ground, ground and sea. Whether in remote mountainous areas, at sea, in the air, or in the midst of natural disasters, it can achieve seamless coverage of communication services.
The emerging track of "smart phone + satellite communication" has been paved
The mobile phone is directly connected to the satellite by means of an ordinary smart phone terminal, without going through any signal or data relay equipment, to directly realize the signal transmission and reception function between the mobile phone and the satellite. According to Ericsson's report, the number of smartphone users in the world exceeded 6 billion in 2022, while the number of people without access to the Internet in the world is close to 2 billion, and more than 80% of the world's land area and 95% of the world's marine area are not covered by communication networks. Satellite Internet is an ideal solution for building global, all-weather, all-weather mobile network coverage, and can also reduce the construction cost of ground base stations in sparsely populated and remote areas. In addition, the direct connection of mobile phones is also the basis for satellite communications to expand the application of mass market. ASTSpaceMobile, Lynk, Omnispace, SpaceX and other companies in the United States are all deploying mobile phone direct connection technology, and mobile phone direct connection to satellite has become the focus of competition in the field of satellite Internet.
Satellite communication chips will contribute to a strong incremental market
With the gradual opening of the mobile phone direct connection satellite technology market, the demand for satellite communication chips will increase significantly. In 2023, a number of A-share listed companies will actively deploy satellite communication technology. Huali Chuangtong has a forward-looking layout in the field of chip design and R&D, and has successfully launched a variety of satellite communication and navigation baseband chips. The company issued an announcement on September 5, 2023, announcing that it had signed a large chip order with a total value of 210 million yuan, which is conducive to promoting the industrialization process of the company's satellite applications, expanding the company's popularity and influence in the civilian field, and providing assistance for the company to explore a broad market. On September 25 of the same year, Huali Chuangtong said that its self-developed satellite communication baseband chip can be applied to mobile phones, portable devices, vehicle/shipboard terminals and other scenarios. In addition, UNISOC, Higer Communications, Meizu and other companies have also made significant progress in the field of satellite communication chips.
China's satellite Internet construction has accelerated into a new entry point
From a global perspective, the satellite IoT industry shows great potential for development in the future global IoT ecosystem. According to the forecast of ABIResearch, a British market research company, by 2024, 24 million devices will achieve IoT access through satellites, which will further improve and develop the satellite IoT industry chain. Forecasts show that in the next 10 years, space-based IoT terminals are mainly divided into two categories, one is mobile satellite communication system (MSS) terminals, and the other is very small aperture antenna earth station (VSAT) terminals. The number of these two types of terminals will grow rapidly at a rate of more than 10% per year. In addition, Asia is expected to be the only region where space-based IoT revenue will grow at a CAGR of more than 10%. By 2027, Asia will be one of the highest-grossing regions in the satellite IoT market and will close the gap with the North American market.
Ke Ruiwen, chairman of China Telecom Group Co., Ltd., believes that direct connection of mobile phones to satellites is one of the important directions of innovative communication services. In September 2023, Continental launched its first consumer-grade mobile phone that supports direct satellite connection and two-way calls, marking that satellite communications are gradually entering the lives of ordinary people. China Telecom is working closely with more mainstream mobile phone manufacturers to make the function of direct satellite connection of mobile phones become the standard configuration of public mobile phones, and truly realize the communication services of heaven and earth, cloud-network integration, and Internet of Everything.
According to the research report released by Zhongtai Securities, China Telecom released the Tianyi Poltton S9 mobile phone that supports 5G satellite dual-mode, and users can make and receive satellite calls at any time, as well as send and receive satellite text messages. It is expected that in the future, the application of mobile phone direct connection to satellite Internet will enter a stage of accelerated development. From the perspective of industrial value distribution, the proportion of midstream and downstream links is higher, and with the improvement of technology and infrastructure, application-related links will usher in a stage of rapid development.
Prospective Economist APP Information Group
For more research and analysis of this industry, please refer to the "Market Prospect and Investment Strategic Planning Analysis Report of China's Satellite Communication Industry" by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute
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