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# The Moon Just Got Cell Service—But Do We Really Need It?
- URL: https://www.thedigitalspeaker.com/the-moon-just-got-cell-service-but-do-we-really-need-it/
- Published: 2025-02-19T10:29:17.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-08T15:06:17.000Z
- Description: NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon, but first, Nokia is sending a 4G network. That’s right, before we’ve even built a permanent base, we’re making sure future lunar explorers have better cell reception than most remote towns on Earth.
- Author: Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP
- Tags: News, #seo-post-1

NASA is sending astronauts back to the moon, but first, Nokia is sending a 4G network. That’s right, before we’ve even built a permanent base, we’re making sure future lunar explorers have better cell reception than most remote towns on Earth.

Later this month, Intuitive Machines will launch its IM-2 mission, deploying Nokia’s first lunar 4G network near the moon’s south pole. Unlike past point-to-point radios, this radiation-hardened “network in a box” will improve data speeds, range, and connectivity for rovers, landers, and future astronauts.

But it’s not without controversy; astronomers warn that cell signals from the moon could interfere with radio telescopes, and 4G frequencies technically violate international space regulations.

If we’re building a moon-based internet, what else should we be prioritizing for a sustainable off-world presence? What infrastructure comes first?

Read the full article on [MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/18/1111984/nokia-is-putting-the-first-cellular-network-on-the-moon/?ref=thedigitalspeaker.com).

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