MWC Shanghai 2023: vivo showcases its first satellite communication phone

vivo demonstrates its latest satellite communication prototype at the MWC Shanghai 2023 last June 28.

The vivo X90 Pro+

vivo X90 Pro+ features satellite communication tech!

The phone used here is the vivo X90 Pro+ with custom modifications, to recall it features the 3GPP R17 non-terrestrial network (NTN) two-way satellite communications.

vivo continued it utilizes radio frequency (RF) baseband integrated solution and internal antenna. It also supports n255/n256 dual-frequency and is also compatible with the Inmarsat/Tianton-1 satellite system.

The phone's display

The brand says that while mobile network coverage in the Philippines has improved over the years to reach even remote locations, there are still some parts of the country that is unreachable, particularly in Mindanao.

With this new tech, Filipinos can now send and receive messages even in areas with no terrestrial cellular support like wilderness, ocean, and forest.

Additionally, vivo's satellite communication prototype is equipped with the first satellite communication system-on-a-chip (SoC) called the V8821 and the brand says it will be mass-produced soon.

This V8821 has the ability to communicate via the L-band Inmarsat Satellite and S-band Tiantong Satellite. Furthermore, vivo claimed it can be extended to support other high-orbiting satellite systems to solve the communication demand in remote locations where ordinary signals can't reach such as the ocean, urban fringe, and isolated mountain areas.

 

vivo also added the V8821 SoC is flexible in hardware configuration, allowing users to reuse hardware resources in existing solutions, improving deployment efficiency and preventing high cost and time consumption.

Lastly, the vivo X90 Pro+ smartphone features a 6.8-inch E6 AMOLED 120Hz display, 4nm SD8G2 SoC, 12GB RAM, 256GB or 512GB storage, 4,700mAh battery with USB-C 80W fast charger and 50W wireless charging, 50MP Sony IMX 989 sensor with OIS + 48MP Sony IMX598 ultra-wide + 50MP Sony IMX758 Portrait camera + OmniVision OV64B 3.5x telephoto shooter and a 32MP selfie camera.

What do you guys think?