You can also make calls and send text messages on the plane. China Telecom has made a major breakthrough in 'satellite + VoWiFi' in the aviation scene.

According to news on January 19, China Telecom officially announced that at the beginning of the new year of 2024, China Telecom Satellite Communications Branch (referred to as "China Telecom Satellite Corporation") will join forces with Air China to conduct joint innovation projects in Air China's ground-based airborne simulation environment. ——The "In-flight Network Platform VoWiFi Project" has undergone project acceptance.

Based on a simulation environment that is exactly the same as that of civil aviation aircraft, ordinary mobile phone terminals can realize functions such as mobile phone authentication, three-network voice, SMS interoperability, and video calls through the in-flight Internet environment in flight mode. The test results are in line with expectations, and the user experience is consistent with that on the ground. 5G networks are consistent and effective. This marks a major technological breakthrough in the innovative application of "satellite VoWiFi" satellite-ground integration technology in aviation scenarios. It is also an important scenario-based application implementation of China Telecom's "satellite" product system to empower land, sea, air and space.

▲ Picture source "China Telecom Satellite" public account, the same below

Note: Aviation VoWiFi, the abbreviation of Voice over WiFi, refers to the use of VoWiFi after passengers activate mobile phone services WiFi hotspots provided in the aircraft cabin and international standard software protocols are used to replace traditional mobile phone wireless base stations, providing the same basic carrier-class services such as voice and SMS that are experienced on the ground network. As we all know, during the flight, there is no mobile network signal coverage in the cabin. At present, my country's civil aviation requires passengers to keep their mobile phones in flight mode during the flight to ensure flight safety. Mobile phones can access the Internet through the in-cabin Wi-Fi network on aircraft with Internet functions, but they cannot make calls or send text messages. However, aviation VoWiFi It can solve the communication needs of passengers, making it possible to make calls and send and receive text messages during the flight. China Telecom stated that for airlines, aviation VoWiFi does not require the installation of additional on-board equipment, the hardware cost = 0, and the airworthiness certification time = 0. Aviation VoWiFi technology only requires the aircraft to have aviation interconnection capabilities. It does not require the installation of any additional hardware equipment and the airline does not need to modify the aircraft to improve on-board communication service capabilities. For passengers, aviation VoWiFi does not require changing cards or mobile phones, or downloading apps. Users using existing mobile phones only need to upgrade the mobile phone software once, and use China Telecom's 5G package to directly use aviation VoWiFi services. There is no need to download and install any applications on the mobile phone. You can use the phone text messaging function that comes with the mobile phone system, which is exactly the same as the experience on the ground. As for when it will be available, China Telecom said that it has currently conducted VoWiFi business pilots in some provinces and cities, and is working closely with head terminal manufacturers to promote terminal software versions that support VoWiFi. However, considering its unique application scenarios, aviation VoWiFi requires system-level integration of satellite-ground heterogeneous networks on the network side, platform side, and terminal side. The scientific research team of China Telecom Satellite Corporation is continuing to carry out technical research and has achieved phased results. Results. In the future, the next step will be carried out in accordance with relevant policy requirements.

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