Imagine driving through the countryside and your car suddenly loses signal.
Miraculously, the call you’re on doesn’t drop. How? Because your car is now connected to a satellite in space.
This is the future LG Electronics showed off at the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) conference in Paris this May.
The company unveiled its new Internet of Things – Non-Terrestrial Networks (IoT-NTN) system, which could keep cars connected even in the most remote parts of the world.
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LG’s IoT-NTN system lets vehicles stay online by switching between normal mobile networks (like 4G and 5G) and satellites.
It’s designed for places where phone towers don’t exist—think mountains, oceans, deserts, or even disaster-hit zones.
Basically, it will come in handy if you find yourself stranded 10,000 feet in the snowy mountains of Utah.
This is a big deal for things like emergency calls, tracking vehicles, or helping self-driving cars stay connected.
One of the biggest moments from LG’s demo was a live drive through Paris.
The test car, equipped with the new system, smoothly switched between land-based networks and satellite signals, without dropping the call.
This is a major breakthrough, as it is the first time full real-time voice conversations were sustained through a mix of regular and satellite connections.
Previously, satellite-based car communication was mostly limited to short emergency texts.
So how did LG make it work?
They added some smart AI to the system, compressing your voice into much smaller files, making it easier and faster to send over satellite.
With almost 100,000 satellites predicted to be in orbit by 2030, this technology will likely become more mainstream.
This new technology makes the data transfer process more than 10 times faster than before.
This means that drivers can now talk to someone during emergencies, rather than simply sending a short SOS text.
One push of a button, and the car sends out a voice message explaining what’s going on.
LG also built a cloud-based platform, akin to a virtual control center, which helps to manage the switch between regular networks and satellites.
This allows the whole system to work smoothly and reliably, no matter where the vehicle is.
And this isn’t just a one-time experiment. LG is already a major player in the connected car world.
The company leads the global market in telematics —tech that helps cars communicate with the outside world— and is helping shape the future of ‘smart cars’.
They’ve been working with the 5GAA, a group of over 110 companies, including big car brands and tech firms, all focused on making cars smarter, safer, and more connected using 5G and beyond.
In any case, LG calls this new system a major step towards keeping vehicles connected even in the toughest conditions.
Whether you’re driving through a mountain pass or caught in a natural disaster, you will still be able to call for help.
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