AST SpaceMobile has announced another leap in telecommunications by successfully making the first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between an everyday, unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space.
Company engineers demonstrated space-based 5G connectivity by placing a call from Maui, Hawaii, USA, to a Vodafone engineer in Madrid, Spain, using AT&T spectrum and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite — the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit. Fifth-generation or 5G mobile networking is said to be the fastest, highest-throughput, lowest-latency, and flexible wireless standard ever released by the 3GPP consortium.
The 5G call was placed on September 8, 2023, from an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone located near Hana, HI, in a wireless dead zone. 5G connectivity testing was completed with their partners Vodafone, AT&T and Nokia. In a separate test, the company broke its previous space-based cellular broadband data session record by achieving a download rate of approximately 14 Mbps.
In June, AST SpaceMobile announced that the satellite reached initial download speeds above 10 Mbps. The company’s comprehensive testing programme with its partners has continued since June, including additional voice calls, 4G video calls and now 5G cellular broadband connections. These speeds, beyond supporting basic voice and text, also enable browsing the internet, downloading files, using messaging apps, streaming video, and more on everyday smartphones.
Commenting on this achievement, Abel Avellan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AST SpaceMobile, said: “Once again, we have achieved a significant technological advancement that represents a paradigm shift in access to information. Since the launch of BlueWalker 3, we have achieved full compatibility with phones made by all major manufacturers and support for 2G, 4G LTE, and now 5G. Making the first successful 5G cellular broadband connections from space directly to mobile phones is yet another significant advancement in telecommunications AST SpaceMobile has pioneered. We are more confident than ever that space-based cellular broadband can help transform internet connectivity across the globe by filling in gaps and connecting the unconnected.”
Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, added: “Vodafone is striving to close the mobile usage gap for millions of people across Europe and Africa. By making the world’s first space-based 5G call to Europe, we have taken another important step in realising that ambition. We’re excited to be at the forefront of space technology through our partnership with AST SpaceMobile.”
Chris Sambar, Head of AT&T Network, stated: “These moments are extraordinary milestones in telecommunications history. These first-of-a-kind innovations would not be possible without ecosystem-wide collaboration. We’re all working together to achieve the shared vision of space-based connectivity for consumers, businesses and first responders all around the globe.”
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, commented: “We congratulate AST SpaceMobile on their latest incredible achievement in completing a 5G voice call from space. While we are of course proud that our AirScale portfolio is playing a key role in underpinning these networks, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture that space-based cellular broadband can provide crucial connectivity to underserved communities around the world. At Nokia, we believe that everyone should have access to universal broadband services, and we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with AST SpaceMobile on this game-changing initiative.”
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