Efforts to standardize satellite and terrestrial communications are moving beyond narrowband capabilities toward a universal broadband terminal for seamless, global connectivity. Geostationary operator Intelsat recently partnered with Softbank, a Japanese internet conglomerate, to essentially integrate satellites with the roaming agreements cellular companies use to keep subscribers connected from country to country. The partnership is one of the first practical steps Intelsat has taken toward 5G following years of rhetoric about the revolutionary capabilities on the horizon for truly global hybrid connectivity. It comes a few months after 3GPP, a mobile…
