In an effort to eradicate dead zones all around the world, a startup from Falls Church, VA called Lynk is launching satellites intended to allow cell phone users to send and receive SMS texts, according to Tysons Reporter. Lynk plans to provide secondary service from satellites when it isn’t available from towers, said CEO and Co-founder Charles Miller.
Lynk satellites can work for people within 55 degrees north or south of the equator. Miller, a former senior advisor for NASA, is confident in the capabilities of his team. “Basically people thought it was impossible and assumed it couldn’t be done because it defied conventional wisdom,” Miller said.
The company secured a total of $12 million in funding from 33 partners in June, including Vodafone and Telefonica. Lynk is now ready for test runs, planning to launch satellites via the International Space Station in Florida. For continued growth, Lynk is trying to secure one more investor before the end of the year.
According to Miller, the company will focus first on establishing reliable text messages before moving on to phone calls or data streaming services. He said 3,000-5,000 text messages could be sent with the same bandwidth that it takes to support one five-minute phone call.
Once Lynk raises enough capital, it will expand to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, Miller said. As part of Lynk’s growth, the company is recruiting for eight different positions, including a vice president of business development and a telecommunications software engineer, per Tysons Reporter.
September 20, 2019
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