(Press release)

April 26, 2022
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation

NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT Agree to Establish Space Compass
Corporation-Novel Space Integrated Computing Network Enterprise to Aid
Realization of a Sustainable SocietyNTT Corporation (NTT, President & CEO: Jun Sawada) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SKYPerfect JSAT, Representative Director, Executive Officer, President: Eiichi Yonekura) announced

today that the parties have reached an agreement and signed a contract to establish a joint
venture company that will launch a novel integrated space computing network to aid therealization of a sustainable society. The joint venture will take on the challenge of building new
infrastructures in space, where business led by the private sector is expected to grow in thefuture, and contribute to the creation of a sustainable society.
1. Why the new company was established
There is an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of economic and social activity. This makes it
all the more important to effectively and fully utilize stratospheric and near-Earth space for ICT

infrastructures. This involves creating ICT infrastructures that support a number of fields, including
energy, environment and climate change, disaster prevention, marine infrastructure, and security.

In addition, as represented by the ARTEMIS program*1, public and private sectors in many
countries are cooperating to extend human activities not only to near-Earth space, but also to
the Moon, Mars, and other bodies.
NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT have agreed to establish a joint venture company to expand theutilization of space by mankind, building on the knowledge they have gained over many years
spent on technological development and in commercial activity as terrestrial and space
infrastructure companies.
The establishment of the joint venture is a tangible step forward toward building the space
integrated computing network*3 announced in the 2021 collaboration agreement*2. By taking on
the challenge of creating new infrastructures, starting with the optical and wirelesscommunication network to be built in space and the mobile network to be built in thestratosphere, the joint venture will contribute to the development of the global space industry
and the realization of a sustainable society.

2. Outline of the new company
Company nameNames

Space Compass Corporationof Representative Director, Co-CEO: Shigehiro Hori

Representatives

Representative Director, Co-CEO: Koichiro Matsufuji

Establishment dateJuly 2022 (planned)

Location

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (planned)

Capital18 billion yen*4 (planned)

Shareholders

NTT 50%, SKY Perfect JSAT 50%

Business activities

Business planning and development, and provision of services related
to space data centers, space RAN, etc.

3. Outline of business (planned)
The following is a summary of the initial business activities to be undertaken by the newcompany.
1) Space data center: high-capacity communication and computing infrastructure in space
In FY2024, Space Compass will launch an optical data relay service for high-speed transmission to
the ground via a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite. This will carry a vast amount of diverse datacollected in space by observation satellites. Existing services, which transmit data directly to groundstations, have communication capacity limits imposed by the use of radio waves as well as limits on
the time at which ground stations can communicate with observation satellites. In contrast, opticaltransmission via a GEO will enable high-capacity, quasi-real-time data transmission.

Figure 1: Overview of optical data relay service

(2) Space radio access network (RAN) business: communication infrastructure for beyond-5G/6GSpace Compass will use high altitude platform stations (HAPSs)*5,6 to provide low-latency
communication services in Japan in FY2025. HAPSs make it easy to expand communication service
coverage to a wider area. Consequently, it is possible to provide highly reliable communication intimes of disaster, high-capacity communication for ships and aircraft, and communications services
for distant islands and remote areas. Mobile carriers can improve the overall cost-effectiveness andenergy efficiency of their mobile networks by combining HAPSs with an increase in the number of
their terrestrial base stations to expand their service coverage.

Figure 2: Overview of HAPS communication services
4. World the company envisions
Space Compass will start the two businesses/services mentioned above as the first step in thespace integrated computing network initiative and then gradually strengthen them. For thespace data center, the company will steadily increase the number of satellites equipped withadvanced computing functions to build a high-capacity communication/computing processing
infrastructure in space. In addition, the company will demonstrate NTT’s high-capacity opticalcommunication technology in space at Expo 2025 Osaka, and plans to deploy its services globallythereafter.

For space RAN, Space Compass plans to study the provision of image sensing using HAPSs.
In addition, the company will add or integrate geostationary orbit satellites and low earth orbit
satellites (LEOs) to expand service area coverage and increase the communication capacity per
HAPS by developing radio communication band broadening technology.

Concept video: https://youtu.be/ew9NtxIlL4Y

Figure 3: Space integrated computing network concept*1 Human space flight (lunar landing) program funded by the United States government*2 NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT signed a collaboration agreement for new space-based businesses to realize asustainable society.
https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/2021/05/20/210520a.html*3 Space integrated computing network
A new ICT infrastructure in space that integrates HAPSs, geostationary orbit satellites, and low earth orbit
satellites, connects them to the ground using an optical wireless network, and enhances various forms of dataprocessing using distributed computing.
*4 The capital at the establishment of the new company will be 6 billion yen (including capital reserve) and will be
gradually increased.
*5 DOCOMO and Airbus successfully conducted a radio wave propagation test from a HAPS during an 18-day flight.
https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2021/1115_00.html*6 Airbus, NTT, DOCOMO, and SKY Perfect JSAT concluded a memorandum of understanding to study the promotionof research and development for the early practical application of HAPSs.
https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/2022/01/17/220117a.html