And not because of SpaceX.
A company in the United States is building a constellation of low orbit satellites to offer internet and mobile telephony to any place on the planet, without the need for special devices or antennas and I am not referring to SpaceX, in fact, it is not the only North American company trying to offer direct satellite connectivity to cell phones.
AST SpaceMobile has been working on this for years, in fact, AST SpaceMobile was the first company in the world to call home from space, now looking to provide coverage to 100% of the United States through a partnership with AT&T and verison, recently a A simple phone call made by AST SpaceMobile marked a historic milestone using a low-orbit satellite technology that managed to connect a common Smartphone without modifications directly to space.
The first company in the world to call home from space
This paved the way for the expansion of a satellite network that could bring cellular signals to even the most remote regions. AST SpaceMobile achieved this using a low-orbit satellite that ironically arrived in space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in September. of 2022.
The historic phone call was made from Midland Texas headquarters of AST SpaceMobile to Rakuten in Japan using the et spectrum on an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22, to further validate compatibility AST SpaceMobile engineers successfully tested a variety of smartphones and devices commons that use SIM cards and all were able to exchange network information directly on the BW3 satellite without the need for terrestrial towers.
With a speed sufficient to transmit video in high definition, the service promises to reach up to 120 mbits per second once it is fully operational, surpassing even 4G and rivaling some 5G implementations, while some satellite services such as starlink require specialized equipment the proposal here is to integrate with the smartphones we already have.
New technology.
This new technology uses giant antennas that are deployed in space forming true signal factories that capture and send data to any device within range. It is true that the possibility of having cell phone access anywhere is a dream for many, especially in Emergency cases, on the other hand, for those seeking to disconnect, this new era of spatial connectivity could mean the end of the expression “disappear from the map.”
Even so, the benefits seem clear, timely rescues and uninterrupted communication can save lives, boost the development of isolated areas, between technological advances and debates about the impact on the environment and astronomy it is undeniable that direct satellite connectivity to Cell phones are redefining the telecommunications landscape.
Hundreds of satellites are being launched to create this global network of uninterrupted signal, the great challenge now is to balance the search for the perfect connection with the responsibility of preserving the night sky and security.
