The Qianfan terminals can provide download speeds of up to 450 Megabits per second and upload speeds of 150 Megabits per second.
Qianfan has already begun offering basic connectivity services to maritime users.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies has agreements to bring Qianfan consumer internet services to Kazakhstan, Türkiye, and airlines.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies’ Qianfan Direct-To-Cell-01 satellite reached low Earth orbit on June 9 and demonstrated connectivity to an unmodified consumer mobile device by June 19.
Qianfan satellites can support automatic identification systems for maritime vessels away from shore.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies initially aimed to have 648 Qianfan satellites in orbit by the end of 2025.
The Innovation Academy for Microsatellites produces some of the satellites that make up the Qianfan constellation.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd operates the Qianfan connectivity constellation.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies contracts Qianfan satellite production to several state-owned and commercial enterprises.
The Qianfan satellite price is roughly a 96 percent cost reduction compared with traditional connectivity satellites.
As of the article, 92 of the 324 planned Qianfan satellites had been deployed.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies aims to have 324 Qianfan satellites deployed by the end of July to complete the constellation’s first phase.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies enabled six Qianfan deployments over two months starting in April and running through early June through bulk-bought launch services and a stockpile of contracted satellites.
A December 2025 presentation set a target of deploying 324 Qianfan satellites throughout 2025 and matching that total in 2027.
The Innovation Academy for Microsatellites charges around 10 million yuan, or $1.47 million, to manufacture or supply a Qianfan satellite.
The 200 Qianfan satellites have been launched in twelve groups over twenty-two months.
Qianfan has not yet begun providing space-based connectivity services to individual users and corporate customers.
Qianfan services are expected to start in Brazil and China toward the end of the year.
Qianfan service agreements are also in place for Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, and airlines.
A Qianfan launch mission carrying the average deployed satellite count costs about 180 million yuan, or $26.5 million.