Major Japanese telecommunications service provider KDDI Corp. said Monday it will partner with SpaceX to provide better mobile access to users on the remote islands and mountainous regions of Japan via the U.S. firm's satellites.
KDDI said it aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband internet via Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which was founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. SpaceX Starlink satellites will connect to 1,200 remote mobile towers as soon as 2022, so that KDDI's rural customers can experience urban-level mobile connectivity.
Starlink satellites are positioned in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometers — over 65 times closer than traditional satellites — resulting in higher transmission speeds for end users, according to KDDI.