Earlier this 12 months, AST SpaceMobile, with the assistance of AT&T, managed to attach an off-the-shelf Samsung Galaxy S22 to a satellite tv for pc in low-Earth orbit to finish a . The announcement marked a serious milestone for satellite-based mobile communication. Now the corporate says it’s one step nearer to bringing the expertise to customers.
On Wednesday, AST shared it not too long ago accomplished a number of checks in Hawaii the place its engineers noticed obtain speeds of 10Mbps from the corporate’s BlueWalker 3 satellite tv for pc to unmodified telephones on the bottom. “Efficiently reaching double-digit obtain speeds throughout satellite-to-smartphone testing takes us one step nearer to making sure folks throughout the US will be capable of keep linked irrespective of their location,” mentioned Chris Sambar, AT&T community head.
As a subsequent step, AST hopes to attach a cellphone to BW3 over a 5G sign. A SpaceX Falcon 9 carried the prototype satellite tv for pc to low-Earth orbit in September. At 693 sq. ft in dimension, BW3 options the biggest antenna of any business satellite tv for pc thus far and is definitely one of many , making it tough for astronomers to .
AT&T is one of some US carriers trying to make use of satellites to service underserved rural communities. In 2021, Verizon to make use of the corporate’s satellite tv for pc community for wi-fi entry. Extra not too long ago, T-Cellular mentioned it could work with to check Starlink-capable gadgets. Like AT&T, the service has mentioned current telephones ought to work with its satellite tv for pc providing.
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