The first International Summit on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) Applications took place Sept. 16 in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province. (Photo/Xinhua)
An enhanced version of the BeiDou short message service was showcased at the First International Summit on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) Applications held in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province, on Sept. 16, reports China.org.bn.
The short message service enables two-way communication on mobile phones in areas not covered by ordinary mobile communication signals or when base stations are damaged, the website reports. This service would prove useful in the event of an earthquake or other emergencies, as well as offshore fishing.
“Short message service needed a larger satellite terminal such as maritime satellite phone,” said Li Jingyuan, director of the BeiDou short message team at National University of Defense Technology (NUDT). “But the enhanced version’s low-power-consumption feature enables mobile phones to send emergency messages through BeiDou satellites, even without ground mobile communication signals. The information transmission rate of the enhanced version has increased 10 times, which means pictures and voice messages can be sent out quickly.”
At the summit, NUDT, the people’s government of Hunan, and China Electronics Corporation signed an industrial cooperation agreement to further expand short message service to low orbit satellite users. The short-message service could play a role in global satellite internet of things, international life rescue, global emergency communication and other industrial applications, the website reports.