A new company is stepping up in the in-space cellular offers with AST SpaceMobile recently sharing their success in the field by transmitting 4G LTE connections from their satellites to a device on Earth. This recent feat centered on 4G connections for now, but the company said that it will try to transmit 5G signals in its next testing.

Satellite internet is one thing, but with what AST SpaceMobile offers is more than what existing companies have already offered, centering on everyday cellular smartphones.

AST SpaceMobile Successfully Transmits 4G LTE

(Photo : AST SpaceMobile)

The latest press release from AST SpaceMobile confirms the successful transmission of 4G LTE from an in-orbit satellite, Blue Water 3 (BW3). The company highlighted that this was done using an everyday cellular smartphone only, without the need for specific apparatus or design to make this possible for the available technology now.

According to Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, "AST SpaceMobile's space-based cellular capabilities are designed to be a critical extension for cellular communications. In addition to supporting basic voice and text that we expect from phones, it would also enable users to browse the internet, download files, use messaging apps or stream video."

Avellan also claimed that it was able to transmit as much as 10.3 Mbps of download speed via the 4G LTE signal from the BW3 satellite.

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Next Test to Look Into 5G Satellite Cell Service

The recent success opens up massive developments for future cellular services, with the famed AT&T-backed company from Texas looking to expand more of its service.

Its next goal is to transmit 5G connections to the Earth from its BW3 satellite, a feat that would revolutionize more of the telecommunications industry in the present.

Satellite Connections for the World

One of the most surprising announcements in 2022 was the partnership between SpaceX and T-Mobile which centered on offering cellular phones to connect to the satellite internet in the future. It was then revealed that the testing for this service would soon be underway, with Starlink providing the technology in orbit and T-Mobile receiving it.

There is also Amazon which is looking to expand its services and bring more satellite connectivity from orbit to the ground, centering on its Kuiper project that is soon to launch its services.

Smartphone to satellite was also demonstrated to be a reality thanks to Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Emergency SOS but is still limited in terms of connectivity.

AST SpaceMobile is making this cellular satellite connectivity a reality, with the Texas-based company already unlocking 4G LTE to beam from space. Soon, it will begin its testing to transmit the fastest cellular network service in the world, opening massive possibilities for 5G to be available from satellites, instead of terrestrial towers.

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