Space for plenty of clearer mobile signals

A group of 18 communication satellites, the first batch of the planned Qianfan network, were lifted by a Long March 6A rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province and placed into their preset orbit on Aug 6.

As its name shows, Qianfan constellation is a satellite-based communications network that provides communication services to users directly from the satellite instead of the current mode of communicating via base stations. Compared with base stations whose signals often get hindered, the satellite-based network will send signals more effectively so its users need not worry about weak signals.

Moreover, communication companies in many countries provide global services but when users travel far they have to depend on local service providers. With the satellite-based communication network, communication companies can provide services to their users in any corner of the world. That's why satellite-based communication networks have long been a hot research sector. As early as 1987, Motorola had developed its Iridium satellite constellation, planning to arrange 77 satellites around the globe for communication. It failed because of the unbearably high cost but the situation is totally different now, as new technologies have lowered costs enough to launch 18 satellites in one rocket.

The Qianfan constellation is reportedly aiming at 108 satellites within the year and increasing the total number to over 10,000 by the end of 2030. As Low Earth Orbit positions and their corresponding electromagnetic wave frequency channels are limited, only those with better technologies can gain a foothold in these. Qianfan, Starlink and various other satellite-based communication plans might be competitive but they are not rivals to each other.

China can exert its potential in propelling the aerospace sector to flourish, as well as call for regulating the space resource usage so that different plans compete healthily, without becoming rivals. Space is big enough for different plans to coexist.