Towers and optical fiber cables will become obsolete: ISRO to launch Bluebird Block-2 today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ISRO will launch the world's largest commercial communication satellite today, aiming to provide direct 4G/5G internet to standard smartphones from space without needing towers or fibre. The satellite's name is Bluebird Block - 2. The launch is for the American company AST Mobile. This is a next-generation satellite that will provide high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones around the world. With this, towers and optical fibre cables will become obsolete in the near future.

The heaviest satellite launch in ISRO's history is taking place at 8.55 am today from Sriharikota. Bluebird Block - 2 weighs 6500 kg. The launch will be on ISRO's LVM 3 rocket. The orbit has been set at a distance of 520 km from the Earth. Bluebird Block - 2 will also hold the title of the largest commercial communication satellite.

High-speed internet in the forest and at sea

• Data flow will shift from the sea to space
• High-speed internet will be available to a person with a mobile phone, whether they are in a desert, in the ocean, in a dense forest, or in a power outage.
• The millions of cable networks that are stretched across the ocean floor around the world for the internet will become irrelevant in the near future.