Satellite operator AST SpaceMobile announced that in the “first half of September” it intends to launch the first five commercial vehicles – they will be delivered into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Subscribers of AT&T and Verizon operators will be able to try satellite communications on unmodified phones by the end of the year.
Image source: ast-science.com
If everything goes according to plan, AST SpaceMobile, after launching the first five satellites, will spend several months activating communication services on them, and then beta testing of communications will begin with AT&T and Verizon, the company’s two main investors. The beta service will begin operating with 5,600 cells in the United States in December. Subscribers of two operators will be able to receive their signal, even if there are no cell towers nearby. Internet connectivity will be provided by BlueBird satellites, which can connect unmodified phones on Earth.
In 2022, the BlueWalker 3 prototype satellite was launched, providing download speeds of up to 17 Mbps, and the cellular signal worked even indoors. The first five commercial BlueBird satellites will be enough to provide 100% coverage throughout the continental United States, said AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan. But at the initial stage there is no need to wait for a constant signal – for this the company will need to launch from 45 to 60 devices.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has not yet granted AST SpaceMobile permission to provide satellite communications services on a commercial basis. But the operator said it is already building another 17 BlueBird satellites; the new batch is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2025 – depending on the rocket, from four to eight devices will be launched into orbit. A similar project dedicated to satellite communications for unmodified mobile phones is being developed in parallel by the satellite operator SpaceX Starlink and terrestrial T-Mobile.