Mission to the Moon Goes Mobile: Tech Firms Join Race to Put 4G Into Space

Fifty years after astronauts stepped on the moon's surface the first ever 4G network is set to reach space and if it all works, the base station will be able to send the first ever live HD video feed from the moon to be seen on earth by a global audience.

The moon's 4G coverage will be connected by Vodafone which will use Nokia Bell Labs's lightest ever network to enable two Audi lunar quattro rovers to transfer scientific data and HD video.

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Nokia chief technology officer and Bells Labs President said in a statement: "This important mission is supporting, among other things, the development of new space-grade technologies for future data networking, processing and storage, and will help advance the communications infrastructure required for academics, industry and educational institutions in conducting lunar research."

Vodafone's Germany CEO Dr. Hannes Amestreiter says the project is "a radically innovative approach."

However the moon's 4G network could already be out of date by 2019. Excitement is building surrounding fifth generation wireless communications with technology firms racing to flex their 5G muscles at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. 

Britain's communications regulator Ofcom is set to sell off the airwaves for 5G networks, by 2020, 5G internet access could be used as the foundation of automation and driverless cars. 

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