According to Izvestia, the operator MTS asked the State Commission for Radio Frequencies to allocate frequencies for testing a hybrid network for calls and access to the Internet using satellites. Journalists tried to figure out what this means for subscribers.
According to the source , frequencies for testing may be allocated as early as the end of March. These bands range from 1950 to 1965 MHz (for transmitting data from Earth to satellites) and from 2140 to 2155 MHz (for returning a signal from space). In this case, the signal transmission to the client device will be carried out by ground equipment, and the satellite will take on the role of a 5G base station for “distributing” communications and Internet access in areas outside the coverage area of the cellular network.
To create such a system, a low-orbit constellation of satellites is needed. According to ComNews Research partner Leonid Konik, its creation will cost approximately a billion US dollars. The expert believes that the commercial prospects of such a network are unclear, although similar projects have already been successfully implemented in other countries.
At the same time, the new network is not considered as a replacement for the existing infrastructure. It is expected to have a peak data transfer rate of 10-20 Mbit/s, but on average it will be 1-2 Mbit/s. Therefore, a hybrid network is considered only as a way to organize communication in places where it currently does not exist.
The telecom industry development strategy for 2024-2035 provides for the creation of a hybrid network, but it is not known exactly what will follow the request for the allocation of frequencies (MTS declined to comment to Izvestia).