Satellites can bridge the connectivity gap that exists in the world today. We might soon witness satellite tech in play to start connecting people's smartphones to mobile networks. AT&T, a major American telecom service provider (TSP) and AST SpaceMobile Inc said that they have completed a 5G call between Spain and Hawaii using a smartphone and a company satellite. As per a release from AST SpaceMobile, they were successful in making the first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between an everyday, unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space.
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The smartphone used was Samsung Galaxy S22 and the 5G call was placed on September 8, 2023. The special thing to note here is that the smartphone was in an area which is classified as a "wireless dead zone". AT&T provided the spectrum resource for the test and the AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 test satellite was used for the trial.
AST SpaceMobile is currently the only company that is engaged in building a space-based cellular broadband network that will be directly accessible through smartphones. Such a service would enable millions across the world to connect to mobile networks and get access to the opportunities that the digital world is creating for everyone.
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“Once again, we have achieved a significant technological advancement that represents a paradigm shift in access to information. Since the launch of BlueWalker 3, we have achieved full compatibility with phones made by all major manufacturers and support for 2G, 4G LTE, and now 5G,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile.
Also, in a separate test, the company was able to achieve a download speed of 14 Mbps. This is the best speed recorded for space-based cellular broadband data. The company said that it completed the 5G connectivity test with Vodafone UK, AT&T, and Nokia.
