Since Huawei launched its Mate60, leading the market, the concept of “satellite communication” has become a hot topic, attracting attention from both industries and investors. There has been a surge in inquiries from various parties regarding satellite communication chips.

What is Satellite Communication?
Satellite communication refers to the technology of transmitting information and communication signals through artificial satellites. The satellite communication system consists of ground stations, satellites, and user terminals. By using satellites as relay stations, it transmits signals from the sender to the receiver. This method offers advantages such as wide coverage, high communication capacity, and excellent transmission quality. It enables communication between multiple ground stations, handheld terminals, and spacecraft, and is widely used in telephony, internet services, broadcasting, and television transmission.

Based on this definition, satellite communication can be divided into three types:

Satellite telephone communication

Satellite internet communication

Satellite broadcasting and television communication

From February 27 to March 2, 2023, the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2023) was held in Barcelona, Spain. During this event, satellite communication became a central focus. As predicted by IT Times in January, satellite communication is expected to become a standard feature in flagship smartphones.

The era of direct satellite connections for mobile phones and cars is approaching. A global competition for space resources has already started, with Elon Musk’s “Starlink” program representing a model for the space land grab. In China, mobile phone manufacturers are increasingly promoting satellite communication as a key selling point, aiming to make it a standard feature in their flagship devices.

In the future, once satellite internet systems are fully integrated, we will remain connected no matter where we are — whether in the ocean or in the desert.

Three Types of Satellite Communication and Chips:

1. Satellite Phone Communication Chips
Satellite phones rely on satellite communication systems to transmit information. They function as satellite relay devices, filling the communication gaps that conventional communication systems (like wired and wireless networks) cannot cover.

After years of effort, China Telecom launched satellite mobile communications for commercial use, marking China’s entry into the “mobile satellite communication” era. This move has ended China’s dependency on foreign satellite communication services. The TianTong satellite offers wide coverage and strong communication capabilities, ensuring service without any blind spots.

Satellite mobile communication services can provide two types of service:

Public satellite relay devices: These devices need to connect to the public exchange network, allowing calls to any fixed terminal globally.

Dedicated satellite relay devices: These are used for communication between a mobile terminal and its dispatcher.

The Mate 60 Pro features two satellite communication chips: one for satellite mobile communication baseband and the other for RF transceivers for satellite communication.

2. Satellite Internet Communication Chips
Before delving into satellite internet communication chips, it’s important to address why satellite internet is necessary, given the widespread adoption of 4G and 5G technologies.

While over 3.64 million 5G base stations have been deployed globally (with China accounting for 2.31 million), 5G coverage still only reaches 30% of the global population. Due to economic disparities, population densities, and geographical factors, 4G and 5G networks cannot cover every area. Satellite internet aims to fill these gaps, providing coverage for remote locations, such as airplanes, ships, disaster zones, and conflict areas.

Elon Musk’s Starlink program, a low-orbit satellite constellation, was launched by SpaceX in 2014 with the goal of providing global broadband internet service. Starlink aims to replace traditional ground-based communication infrastructure with a constellation of over 42,000 satellites. By 2023, the number of Starlink satellites reached over 5,559, with more being launched annually.

As of 2023, SpaceX had achieved breakeven with its satellite internet services, reaching over 2.3 million global users. This service offers download speeds of up to 301 Mbps.

In China, a new project, G60, has been introduced to compete with Starlink. Supported by the Shanghai government, G60 aims to provide broadband internet service with an initial 108 satellites and a goal of achieving a global broadband network by 2027.

Satellite internet communication chips present a promising opportunity, and two years ago, our company, Sanwu Micro, applied for patents and laid the groundwork for technology in this field.

3. Satellite Broadcasting and Television Communication Chips
Satellite television broadcasting uses geostationary satellites to broadcast television programs to designated areas on Earth. Like satellite communication, television signal transmission is similar but requires additional conversion devices due to varying national broadcasting standards.

The market for satellite broadcasting and television communication chips is mature. The RF chips used in satellite communications are predominantly dominated by Japanese manufacturers, while baseband chips have been monopolized by companies like RDA Microelectronics.

At Sanwu Micro, we expanded our technology to include satellite internet communication chips and satellite television broadcasting RF front-end chips. Our chip samples have successfully passed terminal customer tests and entered mass production.