This summer, its partner AST SpaceMobile is scheduled to launch its first five commercial satellites.
AT&T subscribers will soon have the option to assure that they have access to mobile service even in usual dead zones, such as deep within national parks or far-flung rural places. This option will eventually be available to them. AST SpaceMobile has been cooperating with the mobile carrier since 2018 under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding. The mobile carrier has been providing assistance to AST SpaceMobile in testing two-way audio conversations, text messages, and video calls via satellites in space using regular cellphones. AT&T is getting closer to providing its subscribers with the possibility to change their conventional phones into legitimate satellite devices as a result of the fact that the firms have now entered into a comprehensive commercial agreement.
It is necessary for mobile devices to be in close proximity to cell towers in order to receive any kind of service. Because of this, people who are in the mountains or the forest are typically unable to call or even text their relatives. This is because of the nature of the environment. The satellite-to-phone service that AT&T will offer will make use of satellites as cell towers. Because satellites are located in orbit, they are able to provide connection even in regions that are geographically isolated.
A rocket launch that will transport five commercial AST satellites into space is scheduled to take place this summer, and the firms have just in time to negotiate an agreement with one another. In addition to being the first satellites in the company’s planned constellation, these satellites will make it possible for AT&T to carry out its service rollout. It is unfortunate that AT&T has not yet disclosed a particular deployment date for the service, and it is also unknown whether or not the company would charge additional fees for the functionality.
Last year, AT&T wrote to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to express their worries regarding a satellite-to-phone system that is being developed by T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Starlink. An alliance was formed between the two firms in 2022, with the promise of providing users with a service that they will be able to use regardless of where they are located, even if they are in the middle of the ocean. During the month of January 2024, SpaceX successfully launched the first Starlink satellites that were equipped with the capability to provide direct-to-cell connectivity. A week later, the firms sent and received the first text messages utilizing the satellites through T-Mobile. During the course of this year, the carrier has stated that it intends to make satellite-based texting available to the general population.