[4] Later, in the early 1970s, Intelsat commercialized SPADE technology, which is credited with allowing developing countries to join global networks by making satellite communications affordable to them.
Seminal in their day, many technologies and applications Sekimoto worked on at NEC and COMSAT are integral to modern telecommunications systems, and they helped lay the groundwork for the global networks that many societies now depend on.
Sekimoto has also authored numerous works, both technical publications and books written for a wider audience, and he has 35 Japanese and five non-Japanese patents to his credit.
The Japanese government honoured him with a Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 1982 and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1997; he was posthumously granted the third degree of precedence in official rank in 2007.
[5] When speaking, Sekimoto invariably credits his mentor, Koji Kobayashi—also an engineer who served as president and then chairman of NEC, for inspiring him to pursue his interests.