LIVE FROM MWL UNWRAPPED: THE 5G EVOLUTION: President of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research Thierry Klein told Mobile World Live the company is laying the groundwork for the next era of extraterrestrial 5G connectivity, pointing to a “space internet” linking lunar bases, orbiting satellites and eventually Mars missions.

Klein said Nokia’s role in deploying the first cellular network on the lunar surface earlier this year marked “a big leap” in proving that cellular mobile technologies can power the next phase of space exploration.

“We will have sustained human presence on the lunar surface,” he explained. To support that, Nokia envisions a web of lunar and orbital systems that form a foundation for interplanetary communications.

Klein said the next challenge lies in interlinking the “pockets of surface communication” in space, enabling data transfer between lunar surface sites, orbiting satellites and spacecrafts travelling between the Earth and Moon. “You need to connect all of it in a dynamic fashion,” he said. This is where the company aims to sharpen its focus “as we reach deeper and deeper into space”.

Earlier this year, Nokia successfully deployed a 4G network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, marking a major step in proving terrestrial cellular technology can operate in the harsh conditions of space. Despite a difficult landing where Nokia was unable to place a call due to significant power constraints, Klein confirmed the network was switched on and functioning. “We have real evidence that the network was operational,” he noted.

While the current lunar system runs on 4G, Klein expects the next decade to bring a 5G leap for space connectivity, although deliberately behind Earth’s timelines. “Our recommendation is really for the space industry to be about one generation behind what we see on terrestrial networks,” he said, stating that technical maturity, ecosystem readiness and deployment experience are essential before pushing new technology beyond Earth.

 “When we’re moving to 6G for terrestrial networks in the, say 2028 to 2030 timeframe, that’s probably the right timeframe to move to 5G for space exploration.”