Lynk Global, Inc. (Lynk), the world’s leading satellite-direct-to-phone
telecoms company, announced today that it has won the first-prize award for
the Mercedes-Benz car2space Challenge at INNOspace Masters. Lynk beat out
applicants from around the globe for its innovative technology connecting
cars to the company’s growing constellation of satellite cell towers in
space. Lynk received its award this week in Berlin at the INNOspace Masters
Conference and Awards Ceremony 2022.
“We are honored to win this award from one of the world’s premier car
companies. Mercedes Benz wants the best for its customers, and we prize
their acknowledgment of the value of Lynk’s system to keep every Mercedes
connected wherever it goes,” notes Charles Miller, CEO, and co-founder of
Lynk. “Future car customers will be safer in a car that is always connected
– especially during an emergency. Universal connectivity is going to become
a key safety feature for all cars,” he continued.
Hosted annually by the German Space Agency, the INNOspace Masters includes
the prestigious Mercedes-Benz car2space Challenge. For this award,
Mercedes-Benz AG was looking for space-related innovation ideas or concepts
connected to the car of the future. Applicants represent a cross-section of
innovation enthusiasts, including Individuals, startups, academia, and
subject matter experts.
Today, only 10% of the world’s surface is covered by terrestrial mobile
connectivity. This means that 90% of the planet is in “coverage black
spots,” otherwise known as “0G”. Since many cars, trucks, and even some
tractors, have mobile chips built in when manufactured, driving through
areas with 0G black spots is a real problem. Beyond cars, trucks, and
tractors, over three billion people with a mobile phone experience extended
periods of disconnectivity per year. Another billion people per year refuse
to buy their first phone because they don’t have mobile coverage where they
live and work. 0G is a problem for at least four billion people.
Today’s award highlights that Lynk’s technology can provide
satellite-direct-to-phone service to those four billion people and hundreds
of millions of cars, trucks, tractors, and other connected vehicles. Mobile
vehicles can use their existing built-in chipsets to reach Lynk’s network
providing drivers with critical emergency services wherever they are on
Earth. And because the Lynk system is backwards compatible, the legacy
chipsets that exist in millions of cars will still work even after the
sunset of legacy cellular technologies. Further, universal connectivity will
become a critical enabling feature of smart cars.
Lynk proved its patented technology through a series of demonstration
missions, receiving regulatory approval for testing in 15 countries. Lynk
Tower 1, Lynk’s first commercial-ready satellite, launched in April 2022.
Additional satellites will launch later this year, enabling Lynk to provide
a constellation of commercial “cell-towers-in-space” service. To date, Lynk
has 12 contracts with Mobile Network Operators worldwide.
About Lynk
In 2022, Lynk will provide the world’s first commercial satellite
direct-to-mobile phone service, enabling affordable, reliable mobile phone
connectivity to everyone, everywhere across the globe. Founded in 2017 by
veteran space and telecoms leaders, the Lynk team invented, patented, and
proved that a satellite could serve as a “cell tower in space” and connect
directly to a standard mobile phone on Earth – a technological feat verified
by independent third parties. Today, Lynk is the only company in the world
to have successfully sent text messages to and from space via unmodified
mobile devices. By partnering with Lynk via a simple roaming agreement, a
mobile network operator opens the door to untapped markets, gives
subscribers peace of mind with ubiquitous connectivity, and provides a
pathway to economic prosperity for billions of the world’s citizens. For
more information, visit www.lynk.world.
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