Nokia to build mobile phone network on the moon

Nokia to build mobile phone network on the moon

Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Nokia once dominated the mobile phone market on earth, dwarfing its competitors.

The fall from grace of the company which was the largest selling mobile phone brand until the end of the 1990s, was spectacular as it was eclipsed by the sleeker, sexier iPhone.

Now the Finnish telecommunications corporation is planning a comeback — on the moon, after agreeing on a $14.1 million deal with the US space agency Nasa to set up a lunar mobile phone network.

The scheme is part of the ambitious Artemis programme to send humans back to the moon by 2024.

Nokia to build mobile phone network on the moon

Credit: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

But this time, the astronauts will be there to stay, with Nasa planning to establish a "sustainable" human presence by 2028.

If all goes to plan, the mobile network will be waiting for the lunar settlers, with construction beginning on the necessary infrastructure by the end of 2022. Nokia is joining forces with Texas-based private spacecraft design company Intuitive Machines to deliver the equipment to the moon.

Nokia, which will use its innovation arm Bell Labs to perform the work,  plans to set up a 4G network before upgrading the system to 5G.

However, the company admitted that the harsh lunar landscape and tough atmospheric conditions in space will make setting up the network challenging.

Lunar settlers will use the network to carry out an array of tasks including controlling the rover vehicles, providing a navigation system and streaming high definition video.

"We are now building the first-ever cellular communications network on the moon," said Marcus Weldon, the company’s chief technology officer.

"Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting sustainable human presence on the lunar surface."

Nokia is one of a number of private companies involved in the lunar project.

SpaceX and Blue Origin, owned by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos respectively, and a third company, Dynetics, are competing for the landing craft contract.