A photo taken with an equatorial mount on June 5, 2011 shows the galaxy outlined against the night sky in Fusui county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (TAN YU / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China will establish a constellation of more than 300 low-orbit satellites to provide global communication services, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced Friday.

The satellite communication network will take the place of the ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected everywhere on the planet

The first satellite of the Hongyan constellation is set to be launched this year, CASC said.

The Hongyan constellation is composed of more than 300 satellites, along with data processing centers, and will be built in three stages.

Once completed, the satellite communication network will take the place of the ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected everywhere on the planet, either in a remote desert or at sea, according to CASC.

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