A Chinese satellite internet company has achieved a major technological milestone by successfully completing a direct-to-satellite voice call test using a standard, unmodified commercial smartphone.
that this marked the first test of its kind in China. The Shanghai-based company, based in eastern China, said all communication connections remained smooth and stable throughout the test, and delivered excellent voice quality.
Earlier this month, China launched a Zhuque-2E carrier rocket carrying two satellites, including Spacesail DTC 01. Spacesail's test satellites were designed to verify key technologies for direct-to-cell services and integrated space-Earth networks, which support the convergence of satellite communications with 5G/6G networks.
Their direct-to-cell technology requires no hardware or software modifications to standard commercial smartphones, and field tests demonstrated full signal strength and voice quality comparable to terrestrial 5G. Furthermore, its high compatibility with existing cellular networks paves the way for deeply integrated space-Earth communications, according to the company.
