NASA has announced plans to set up an internet connection on the moon. The space agency has selected 14 businesses to develop technology for sustainable moon missions by the end of the decade. Among them, Nokia was selected to build the first-ever cellular network on the moon.

According to Nokia, the network will provide communication for data transmission, such as command and control functions, the remote navigation of lunar robots, and streaming high-definition video. The 4G/LTE technology which will progress towards 5G in time promises to revolutionize lunar surface communications by delivering reliable, high data rates while containing power, size, and cost. This way, astronauts can communicate via voice and video, as well as exchange biometric data through wireless communications.

Marcus Weldon, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia, said in a statement: “Leveraging our rich and successful history in space technologies, from pioneering satellite communication to discovering the cosmic microwave background radiation produced by the Big Bang, we are now building the first-ever cellular communications network on the Moon.”

NASA hopes to establish a human base on the moon and use it as a stepping stone for facilitating human exploration of Mars and sees the internet implementation crucial to the project which is part of NASA’s $28 billion plan to send the first woman and the next man to the moon – the first time since 1972.