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The five new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are the first step in providing mobile coverage to ‘not spots’ across the USA
AST SpaceMobile has successfully launched its first five BlueBird LEO satellites, which will ultimately form part of a constellation aimed at delivering direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity to mobile subscribers.
The five satellites carry antenna arrays that each cover around 700 square feet, making them the largest ever deployed by a commercial space craft.
For the next three months, the quintuplet will undergo various calibration testing, after which beta tests with AT&T (and likely Verizon) customers will begin.
Each of the satellites’ beams are designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, enabling peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps. and will target approximately 100% nationwide coverage from space with over 5,600 coverage cells in the US.
Initial coverage from the satellites will be limited; the devices will orbit the Earth twice a day, providing about an hour of combined connectivity across the US. AST aims to launch 17 additional satellites during Q1 next year, with plans for up to 155 to be built by 2030, which will ultimately provide global coverage.
“This is a pivotal moment for AST SpaceMobile as we bring our vision to enhance cellular connectivity globally, with the support of our strategic partners and the unwavering commitment of our team,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “As we shift our manufacturing focus to increase Block 2 production of the active payload systems and other components for the first 17 Block 2 satellites, we are excited to bring this revolutionary technology to the world. We believe space-based broadband cellular connectivity will revolutionize how people connect, empowering communities and driving economic growth on a global scale.”
Both AT&T and Verizon have deals with AST SpaceMobile to make use of the satellites to deliver connectivity to ‘not spots’ across the country. The services will use the operators’ respective 850MHz spectrum and will connect to unmodified smartphones.
“This is an exciting next step to a future where our customers will only be hard to reach if they choose to be – giving them the power to go anywhere and the possibility to do anything while staying connected with just an everyday cell phone” said Jeff McElfresh, Chief Operating Officer at AT&T. “This moment has been several years in the making, and I am proud of our teams’ work, in collaboration with AST SpaceMobile, to help make space-based connectivity a reality.”
Exactly how the mobile operators will commercialise these services remains to be seen, but AT&T’s network chief Chris Sambar has previously hinted that the service will be available as-standard on premium packages or as a paid addition to cheaper packages.
Besides AT&T and Verizon, AST SpaceMobile also has partnership and investments from the likes of American Tower, Google, Rakuten, and Vodafone.
It should also be noted that AST SpaceMobile is not the only satellite operator to be eying D2D connectivity. Indeed, SpaceX’s more than 7,000-satellite Starlink constellation has plans to launch its own D2D connectivity services later this year.
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