KDDI aims to use direct satellite link for drones
KDDI plans to utilize its new service connecting smartphones directly with Space X's Starlink satellite communication network to operate drones, President and CEO Hiromichi Matsuda said.
A direct link with satellites will make it easier to operate drones in mountainous areas and other regions where radio waves are hard to reach, Matsuda said in a recent interview.
"We hope to resolve the pain points in drones," said Matsuda, who took the helm of the telecommunications company on April 1.
On April 10, KDDI became the first Japanese company to launch a direct link between smartphones and the Starlink network, a service that allows messages to be sent and received wherever there is line of sight to the sky without the need to relay radio waves via ground base stations.
"We hope to provide a sense of security from connectivity at any time," Matsuda said.
The service is expected to enhance the stability of communications with drones, he said, adding that drone operations "will become more convenient by being connected with the sky."
The service is expected to help promote the use of drones for transportation of goods in mountainous areas and for inspections of dams, bridges and other infrastructure in areas where radio waves are hard to reach.
Among KDDI's domestic rivals, Rakuten Mobile also plans to provide a similar service connecting smartphones directly with satellites.
NTT Docomo and SoftBank separately aim to launch a network service using high altitude platform stations, or HAPS, which send radio waves from unmanned aircraft flying in the stratosphere 20 kilometers from the ground.
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