Given that it is uninhabited and totally devoid of life, the moon might appear to be the last place that needs the building of a 4G mobile network, but thanks to Vodafone and Nokia it could get one very soon.
The two companies used the Mobile World Congress (MWC), currently being held in Barcelona, to confirm they will take advantage of the plans of German engineering company, PTScientists and car manufacturer Audi, to complete a privately-funded moon landing in 2019 and build the network.
Vodafone explained that the 4G network on the moon will be the lightest ever developed and will weigh less than one kilo. However, that will be enough to allow the robot Audi vehicles which are sent on the mission to transmit HD video and data from the lunar surface.
This video will then be fed to a live audience via a mission control in Berlin.
"This project requires a radical innovative approach to the development of a mobile network infrastructure," said Vodafone Germany's CEO, Hannes Ametsreiter in the MWC's Mobile World Daily publication.
Robert Bohme, CEO of PTScientists, commented that the project was the "crucial first step" towards further exploration of the solar system.
"In order to leave the cradle of Earth, we need to develop infrastructure beyond our home planet," Bohme said.
