"Plan to Build LTE First, Then Replace with 5G"
Competition for Lunar Base Construction with China and Russia Intensifies
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States has agreed with Finnish telecommunications company Nokia to install a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication network on the lunar surface by 2022. As the U.S. is gearing up the 'Artemis Project' to build and explore a joint lunar base with allied countries, it emphasized plans to establish a manned base on the moon by 2024 and intends to install the communication network first. This move is interpreted as an effort to counter the lunar base construction cooperation between China and Russia.
According to foreign media such as CNBC on the 19th (local time), NASA selected Nokia as the first communication network builder on the moon. Nokia plans to install 4G antennas and base stations on the lunar surface by the end of 2022, and later replace them with a 5G communication network once the manned lunar base is completed. To achieve this goal, NASA announced it will provide $14.1 million (approximately 1.6 billion KRW) in funding to Nokia's Bell Labs.
NASA's project is known to be part of the Artemis Project, which involves building a joint manned lunar base with allied countries, lunar exploration, and sharing various scientific research technologies. NASA aims to send a manned spacecraft to the lunar surface by 2024 and construct a lunar base inhabited by humans by 2028.
Some analysts suggest that competition with China and Russia, who are also planning lunar base construction, has intensified. According to Russia's TASS news agency, earlier in July, Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), appeared on a Russian internet broadcast and stated, "Recently, we agreed with Zhang Kejian, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), to establish a joint research base on the moon." It is known that both countries aim to build a manned base on the lunar surface by 2030.
Meanwhile, Nokia, the first communication service provider on the lunar surface, stated, "The 4G communication network to be established on the moon will be used for astronauts' data transmission, lunar exploration rover control, real-time navigation support, and high-definition video streaming." It is expected that they will research structures capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and radiation to install communication equipment on the airless lunar surface.
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