INTERVIEW: KDDI Aims to Use Direct Satellite Link for Drones

Tokyo, April 24 (Jiji Press)--KDDI Corp. plans to utilize its new service connecting smartphones directly with Space X's Starlink satellite communication network for operating drones, President and CEO Hiromichi Matsuda said.

A direct link with satellites will make it easier to operate drones in mountainous and other areas where radio waves are hard to reach, Matsuda said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.

"We hope to resolve the pain points in drones," said Matsuda, who took the helm of the Japanese telecommunications company on April 1.

On April 10, KDDI became the first Japanese company to launch a direct link between smartphones and the Starlink network, a service that allows messages to be sent and received wherever there is a sight of sky without the need to relay radio waves via ground base stations.

"We hope to provide a sense of security from connectivity at any time," Matsuda said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]