4G on the moon? Vodafone partners with Nokia to give the Moon better signal than the London Underground

Here’s one to think about next time you’re desperately trying to find some mobile signal on the Tube: Vodafone and Nokia have got together to launch a 4G network on the Moon.

Vodafone said today it will launch the network as part of a mission by Berlin-based company PTScientists in 2019.

The mission will land two Audi lunar quattro rovers on the Moon, which will be connected to a base station in the company’s landing module via 4G. The technology behind the network, which will be provided by Nokia, will weigh about the same as a bag of sugar.

Using the network, the two rovers will transfer data and HD video as they approach Nasa’s Apollo 17 lunar rover, which was last used by astronauts to explore the Moon’s Taurus-Littrow valley in December 1972.

“This project involves a radically innovative approach to the development of mobile network infrastructure,” said Hannes Ametsreiter, chief executive of Vodafone Germany.

“It is also a great example of an independent, multi-skilled team achieving an objective of immense significance through their courage, pioneering spirit and inventiveness.”

Lest we forget, Transport for London has pledged to put 4G mobile signal on the Tube from 2019. Who will receive 4G first – martians, or the capital’s commuters? We know who our money’s on…