At Mobile World Congress 2023, Nokia’s research arm, Bell Labs, showcased two of its latest projects – research on lunar networks, which will see the first cellular network deployed on the Moon as part of a NASA initiative, and a hands-on preview of 6G technology.
Nokia Bell Labs is partnering with Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost for the IM-2 mission, targeted for late 2023, to deploy the first cellular 4G/LTE network on the Moon, which will prove the readiness of cellular technologies as the communication standard for future space missions.
Nokia’s 4G/LTE network on the Moon will provide the critical command-and-control and video streaming links to a Lunar Outpost rover and other lunar vehicles, the Finnish firm said in a press release.
“Nokia Bell Labs is thrilled to be returning to space. Nokia’s network experiments on the IM-2 mission will have a big impact on future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond, and validate that cellular technologies can be adapted for mission-critical space communications needs. Instead of reinventing the wheel by creating a proprietary network in space, we are leveraging the same technology that connects billions of devices cost-effectively on Earth,” said President of Bell Labs Solutions Research, Thierry Klein.
Nokia also demonstrated the sensing capabilities of 6G technology – how future next-gen networks will act as a form of radar to sense objects, people and movements while preserving privacy. That situational awareness will imbue people with a digital 6th sense, giving them the ability to see around corners, gather information about their surroundings and even interact with objects at a distance.
“6G sensing will give us an awareness of our surroundings that we’ve never had before. For example, it will keep digital twins of a factory or smart city up to date in real-time and as such optimize the flow of robots, vehicles and humans in a safe way. This digital 6th sense will warn us of dangers like a speeding vehicle approaching around the corner,” President, Bell Labs Core Research, Peter Vetter explained in a statement.
