Huawei Mate60 Pro's Satellite Calls: Two Years of Persevering Breakthrough, Conquering a "Century-Old Problem"

Huawei Mate60 Pro's Satellite Calls: Two Years of Persevering Breakthrough, Conquering a "Century-Old Problem"The launch of the Huawei Mate60 Pro not only brought numerous hardware and software upgrades but also, more importantly, globally premiered the satellite call feature. This seamlessly integrates mobile phone and satellite communication technology, enabling users to make and receive calls in areas without terrestrial network coverage

Huawei Mate60 Pro's Satellite Calls: Two Years of Persevering Breakthrough, Conquering a "Century-Old Problem"

The launch of the Huawei Mate60 Pro not only brought numerous hardware and software upgrades but also, more importantly, globally premiered the satellite call feature. This seamlessly integrates mobile phone and satellite communication technology, enabling users to make and receive calls in areas without terrestrial network coverage. Behind this groundbreaking technology lies the inspiring story of Sun Libin, a Huawei terminal antenna technology expert, and his team, who spent two years relentlessly working to overcome a "century-old problem."

In July 2021, Sun Libin joined Huawei, shortly after the company had completed the technological planning and development verification of the satellite short message function for the Mate50 series. While satellite short messaging provided limited communication support in emergencies, Huawei's ambitions extended far beyond that. Achieving satellite call functionality was deemed an extremely challenging goal, even internally labeled a "century-old problem."

The core of this "century-old problem" lay in enhancing antenna performance. To enable stable satellite calls, the gain of the phone's antenna needed to be increased by 9 to 10 decibels (dB). Under the technological conditions at the time, this was an extremely high bar, requiring disruptive innovation of existing technology. Traditional mobile phone antenna design approaches were inadequate.

Faced with such a monumental challenge, Sun Libin and his team did not retreat but boldly broke through conventional boundaries, exploring entirely new design schemes. They abandoned previous design approaches, starting from fundamental theory and re-examining antenna design parameters and operating principles. After countless experiments and simulations, they finally devised a novel circularly polarized mobile phone antenna solution. This cleverly resolved the efficiency issues of signal reception and transmission, significantly increasing antenna gain and providing the crucial technological foundation for achieving satellite calls.

In March 2022, following tireless efforts, Sun Libin's team successfully conducted the first satellite call demonstration. This successful demonstration marked a crucial step in overcoming the "century-old problem." However, this was merely the beginning. To ultimately apply this technology to a real product, they needed to overcome further challenges.

Sun Libin's team proactively showcased this new technology to Yu Chengdong, then CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group. Yu Chengdong was deeply impressed by the groundbreaking significance of this technology and decisively decided to feature it as a major highlight of the upcoming Huawei Mate60 series. However, this did not signify the end of the challenges, but rather a new beginning.

The Huawei Mate60 series employs the new Xuanwu architecture, introducing new antenna design difficulties. The changes in the Xuanwu architecture inevitably impacted antenna efficiency. To ensure the stability and reliability of the satellite call function on the Mate60 series phones, Sun Libin's team needed to readjust the antenna design to achieve perfect compatibility with the new architecture.

Over the following period, Sun Libin and his team continued to persevere, repeatedly optimizing and adjusting the antenna design. They needed not only to enhance antenna gain but also to ensure that the antennas size and power consumption met the overall design requirements of the phone. They faced immense time and technical pressure, but they never gave up, relentlessly pursuing technological breakthroughs.

After more than a year, Sun Libin's team finally completed all testing standards, enabling the successful integration of the satellite call function into the Mate60 series products. This is not only a technological breakthrough but also a perfect embodiment of teamwork and perseverance.

From joining Huawei in July 2021 to the launch of the Mate60 series in 2023, Sun Libin and his team achieved a massive leap from satellite short messaging to satellite calls in just two years. This accomplishment reflects not only Huawei's powerful technological capabilities but also the courage to challenge, the daring to innovate, and the unwavering perseverance of Huawei's employees.

The success of the Huawei Mate60 Pro's satellite call function is not accidental but a natural result of Huawei's continuous investment in technology and team collaboration. It marks a new era for mobile communication technology and points the way for future developments. This technological success not only provides users with a more convenient and reliable communication experience but also makes a significant contribution to the development of global satellite communication technology. In the future, with continuous technological advancements and expanding applications, the satellite call function will play a more significant role in various fields, bringing greater convenience to people's lives. It is not only a source of pride for Huawei but also a symbol of China's technological strength. This technological breakthrough once again showcases Huawei's leading position in the communications field and sets a new benchmark for the global mobile phone industry. The success story of Sun Libin's team further inspires more researchers to bravely explore the unknown, challenge limits, and create miracles.