The first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between a standard, unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space has taken place in Spain.
Texas-based start-up AST SpaceMobile has been building the first space-based cellular broadband network designed to be accessible by standard smartphones in a bid to provide consistent coverage everywhere on the planet, including at sea and in flight.
Earlier this month, the firm successfully tested the technology by placing a 5G phone call from Hawaii in the US to a Vodafone engineer in Madrid, Spain, using AT&T spectrum and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite.
The call was placed on September 8 from an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone located near Hana, Hawaii, in a wireless dead zone.
In a separate test, the company broke its previous space-based cellular broadband data session record by achieving a download rate of approximately 14mbps.
In June, AST SpaceMobile announced that its satellite had reached initial download speeds above 10mbps. Since then, testing of the new technology has continued, 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 and streaming video on everyday smartphones.
“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,” said Abel Avellan, chief executive officer of AST SpaceMobile.
“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.”
AST SpaceMobile has already made agreements with more than 40 mobile network operators globally to adopt their technology once it is commercially available.
The firm plans to launch five commercial BlueBird satellites in the first quarter of 2024 as part of a plan to improve its service.
Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group chief executive, said: “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.”
Earlier this year, the UK government-owned OneWeb announced plans to launch its satellite-based broadband service in Asia.
