This is a continuation of EkaLore’s series on satellite-based telecom service providers. Lynk Global is another player using satellite tech to bypass ground-based tower infrastructures.
Lynk Global has a technological approach of providing cellular-base-station access points using satellites instead of tower-hosted connections. (“Cell tower in space”) The planned business model is to act as a “remote roaming carrier” for unserved areas and take down a revenue share.
Lynk Global is a private venture-funded enterprise that has raised USD$27M thru June 2022. It is currently raising a financing round of USD$100M. Manufacturing production and additional launch contracts are awaiting additional funding.
Lynk Global has successfully tested unmodified cellular to satellite services with thousands of devices. During tests with proprietary devices in early 2022 connections were also established with a wide variety of cellular devices from smartphones and tablets to Internet-of-things including vehicles. Tests were completed in 5 countries and with 8 large carriers. (Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) The tests had limited bandwidth and concurrent device counts.
Regulatory applications for testing were approved in 11 countries and tests with 36 carrier partners across 27 global enterprises cover 1.5B existing subscribers. Lynk Global has applied to the USA FCC for rapid approval of up to 10 satellites. Lynk Global is relying on carrier partners to acquire spectrum licenses in the UHF bands already in use.
Lynk Global has launched 4 satellites on Orbital Antares/Cygnus-launcher host-payload/shared services and 2 on ride-share SpaceX launches. The first four launches from December 2018 enabled a completed test in 2020 of a text message from a cell device to a satellite. Broadband access is envisioned for 2025. Tests were aimed at enabling services for a key target market of remote areas or emergency first responders.
In early 2022 Lynk Global disclosed the production Shannon satellite design at 100kg mass with plans to manufacture the design in-house at a rate of 200 satellites per month. The Lynk Global satellite design calls for a 1x1 square meter antenna design. The current design envisions using 3GPP MCPTT protocols. Commercial services would be enabled as more than 50 satellites are planned by the end of 2023. The current disclosed deployment plans call for global service to be enabled at 2000 satellites with an objective constellation of 5000 satellites by 2025.
Lynk Global’s access to SpaceX launcher availability was used to launch Lynk-006 (first production design) in April 2022. Lynk-007 was booked by SpaceFlight services for a combined ride using the Sherpa orbital transfer vehicle. SpaceX has terminated cooperation and sales thru SpaceFlight using the Sherpa vehicle past outstanding contract manifests. An earlier Sherpa had a propulsion system leak in 2021. As of July 2022 Lynk Global did not have a launch commitment for Lynk-007 and Lynk-006 is the only operational unit.
Lynk Global’s public statements have announced a launch on SpaceX in November 2022 for production-design satellites #3 and #4 using a deployment mechanism designed to deploy up to 6 Lynk Global satellites.
Our next post will cover the partnership between T-Mobile and SpaceX. Look for it at www.ekalore.com/alien-invaders
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