AST SpaceMobile is moving closer to achieving its ambitious goal of creating a space-based mobile communications network, designed to transform standard smartphones into satellite phones without the need for additional hardware. The company has announced that its constellation of five commercial satellites, known as BlueBird, is set to launch into low-Earth orbit on September 12 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Equipped with advanced communications arrays, the BlueBird satellites aim to provide standard smartphones with seamless voice, data, and video connectivity, rivaling the speeds of traditional broadband towers. Upon deployment, the AST network will offer intermittent cellular broadband coverage across the United States and select international markets. This innovative technology will enable unmodified mobile phones to function as satellite phones, providing users with a reliable means of communication in areas with limited or no traditional broadband coverage, such as rural areas and national parks.
Initially, the BlueBird network will focus on serving beta test customers from AT&T and Verizon networks. Following a successful partnership with AT&T in May, AST SpaceMobile has been working closely with the carrier to test its satellite communication capabilities. Notably, the company successfully completed a two-way voice call over its satellites in April 2023, followed by a successful 4G data download test in June 2023.
