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19.09.2023 19:21, Vladimir Myronenko
Satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile, backed by US cellular operator AT&T, made the call via satellite using AT&T’s 5G spectrum. According to the company, this was the first-ever 5G connection between a satellite in space and a regular smartphone, which does not normally support satellite communications. writes The Verge resource.
Image source: AST SpaceMobile
A test call was made on September 8 using a regular Galaxy S22 smartphone from a wireless dead zone on the island of Maui (Hawaii) to a user in Madrid (Spain). The cellular signal was delivered via AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 (BW3) low-orbit test satellite using AT&T’s 5G spectrum. Operators Vodafone and AT&T, as well as Nokia, confirmed the call.
Several tests were carried out before this test. In April, AST SpaceMobile made its first “through space” phone call on AT&T’s 2G spectrum. Later, a signal was transmitted via satellite in the 4G LTE spectrum, which a regular phone was able to pick up. At the same time, the operator reported a data download speed of 10 Mbit/s. It has since surpassed that record, achieving download speeds of around 14 Mbps in a separate test, according to AST SpaceMobile.
“Since the launch of BW3, we have achieved full compatibility with phones from all major manufacturers and support for 2G, 4G LTE and now 5G,” — said Abel Avellan, CEO of AST SpaceMobile.
AST SpaceMobile reportedly plans to launch five commercial BlueBird satellites in the first quarter of next year. AT&T’s competitor, the American operator Verizon, also intends to add satellite communications to its list of services through cooperation with the Amazon Project Kuiper provider, and T-Mobile has chosen SpaceX, whose satellite constellation exceeds 4,000 Starlink spacecraft, as a partner.
2023-09-19 16:21:00
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