Summary
- Verizon and AT&T have competed the milestone of making mobile-to-satellite video calls in partnership with AST SpaceMobile, a satellite company.
- While rival network providers T-Mobile and SpaceX recently launched a beta for messaging via satellite.
- This event triggered complaints from AT&T and Verizon to the FCC that the services would harm their networks.
- Now both AT&T and Verizon have mimicked the achievments of T-Mobile and SpaceEx in creating satellite-to-cell services.
- AST’s constellation of BlueBird satellites, launched in September 2022, was employed by both companies for the tests.
- In a statement, AST boasted that the tests demonstrated that its satellites could provide reliable global coverage.
- AST plans to launch another 75 satellites, to provide broadband to smartphones globally, emphasizing rural and underserved markets.
By Jay Peters
Original Article