It is true that technological inventions are bigger in size and, at times, slow at the developmental stage. But it is also true that they get faster and advanced, and smarter, as they shrink in size with time.

Recently, Sky and Space Global announced their feat – a world’s first, to be precise – for the aerospace, satellite and telecommunications industries, by arranging the first ever voice call using its 3 Diamonds nanosatellite technology, a standard smartphone and SAS proprietary hardware and application.

To date, nano-satellites were mainly used for earth observation and imagery. But with advancements in miniature space technology, their capabilities have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years. Sky and Space Global is claimed to be the first company to successfully use narrowband connectivity provided by nano-satellites to deliver a voice call. The 3 Diamonds nanosatellites were launched into space in late June 2017.

Making the first ever phone call via nanosatellites marks a major milestone for the telecom and satellite communications industries, because the technology enables the delivery of low-cost satellite connectivity in remote locations and emerging markets that have no access to a communications network infrastructure. It is said to be an important step towards realising the SAS vision.

Sky and Space Global’s offering text and data services are said to be available at a fraction of the cost compared to the traditional satellite communications providers. This is due to a major differential in the capital cost for the infrastructure.

With this successful leap of the 3 Diamonds nanosatellite technology, the validation of SAS’ narrowband communication services allows the company to focus on building its constellation of 200 satellites to cover the equatorial belt by 2020. Moreover, the company has also recently signed its first binding commercial contract with Sat-Space Africa, a pan-African communications company.