The former Worldspace satellite AsiaStar was used for the 5G Broadcast direct-to-smartphone trial recently conducted by Astrum Mobile and Qualcomm Technologies.
This was confirmed by Jonathan Wang, CFO of Astrum Mobile, to Broadband TV News. “Astrum is the owner of the assets now,“ said Wang, adding that the satellite is positioned at 105° East.
The trial of the world’s first 5G Broadcast service from a geosynchronous satellite to a retail smartphone took place in October 2024, using AsiaStar’s Asia Pacific wide service coverage. The demonstration comprised broadcast services of live TV and online gaming broadcasts, OTT content push and emergency broadcast services. Tests were conducted under various service usage scenarios such as mobility including vehicular, maritime and anytime-anywhere service.
Worldspace was a pioneering satellite radio company founded in 1990 by Noah A. Samara with the ambitious goal of providing digital audio and multimedia broadcasts to underserved regions, particularly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, on L-band frequencies. The service utilised geostationary satellites to deliver content including music, news, and educational programming directly to reception devices, bypassing traditional infrastructure challenges.
The company launched two satellites, AfriStar (1998) and AsiaStar (2000), using Ariane rockets. AfriStar covered Africa and parts of Europe, while AsiaStar served Asia and the Middle East. A planned third satellite, AmeriStar, intended to serve the Americas, was never launched.
Despite its innovative technology, Worldspace struggled financially due to a limited user base, high receiver costs and intense competition from terrestrial and emerging digital alternatives. After filing for bankruptcy in 2008, its assets, including the satellites, were sold to other operators.
