4G On The Moon: Nokia Will Help NASA Set Up LTE Connectivity For Lunar Probes

File Photo: Nokia, Paris-Saclay. Image Credit: Patrick.Frene. Image Licensed Under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NASA has teamed up with Nokia's Bell Labs to bring 4G LTE connectivity to the Moon in a $14.1 million project. The development was announced by both NASA and Bell Labs separately on October 15. According to Jim Reuter, who is overseeing the NASA Space Technology Mission, cellular connectivity on the moon would mean better communication between astronauts, rovers, and even habitants in the future.

In a series of tweets, Bell Labs said, "We are excited to have been named by NASA as a key partner to advance 'Tipping Point' technologies for the moon, to help pave the way towards a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface...Our pioneering innovations will be used to build and deploy the first wireless network on the moon, starting with 4G/LTE technologies and evolving to 5G".