NEC seeks to build a high-capacity satellite communication network by operating hundreds of optical communication satellites

(Tokyo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Doyeon Lee = The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 27th that NEC, a Japanese information technology (IT) and electronic device company, is working to build a satellite communication network system that can provide high-capacity communication by operating hundreds of optical communication satellites at once.

According to reports, NEC plans to build such a satellite communication network system and use it in a wide range of fields, including precise remote operation of vehicles and ships and situational awareness in the event of a disaster.

The Japanese government supports this through the 'Space Strategy Fund' to support space development and the 'Economic and Security Important Technology Development Program', which jointly develops nationally important technologies between the public and private sectors.

Optical communication satellite is a next-generation technology that performs data communication using laser light, exchanging information between satellites or between satellites and ground stations.

Compared to existing communication satellites that use radio waves, it can transmit and receive large amounts of data within the same amount of time and has the characteristic of being difficult to eavesdrop.

NEC plans to launch optical communication satellites several times, gradually increase the number, and then operate them at an altitude of about 1,000 km.

The plan is to launch the first technology demonstration satellite after next year and begin operation of the satellite network system in the 2030s.

Once hundreds of optical communication satellites are in operation, it will become the largest satellite communication network system in Japan.

Once the system is established and high-capacity communication becomes possible, high-quality services can be provided even in places where there is no terrestrial communication network, such as mountainous areas or remote islands.

It is expected to be used for a wide range of purposes, such as drone control, unmanned maritime ships, and autonomous driving of agricultural machinery. It is also expected to speed up response in the security field as large amounts of observation data can be quickly transmitted to the ground.

NEC's efforts to build such a system and the Japanese government's support for it appear to be due to the intensifying competition in the development of low-Earth orbit space communication networks centered on the United States, China, and Europe.

America's Space

The European Union (EU) is pursuing a plan called ‘Iris Square’ with the goal of operating more than 300 satellites in the 2030s.

It is reported that China is also promoting the 'Guowang' (GW) project, a state-led initiative to compete with Starlink, and is planning to launch about 13,000 satellites by the 2030s.

Accordingly, it is analyzed that Japan is also starting to build its own satellite network to avoid dependence on other countries for communication infrastructure essential for security and economy.

Major telecommunication companies in Japan are providing or planning satellite communication services for smartphones, but they are all using foreign satellites, raising concerns that dependence on foreign countries may increase in the future, Yomiuri reported.