The moon is getting its own 4G mobile phone network

In what is sure to make E.T. happy, the moon will get its first mobile phone network next year, reports Reuters. No, this is not a joke. Vodafone Germany, Nokia, and Audi are teaming up for a private space mission next year that will see a mobile phone network rolled out on the moon that is capable of streaming high-definition content back to Earth. The equipment for the moon’s first mobile network will be delivered via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Presumably, no one is going to be making actual phone calls from the moon, but the network could allow remote internet-connected cameras to be deployed on the moon, which would allow Earth-based viewers to tune in anytime. The only bummer is the moon is going to be stuck with a 4G network, which is on its way out here on Earth. An executive from the consortium of companies involved said a 5G network was ruled out because 5G networks are still in the testing and trial stages.