The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted Special Temporary Authority (STA) to AST SpaceMobile, enabling its operator partners—AT&T and Verizon—to test its Bluebird direct-to-device (D2D) satellite constellation over the United States.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Vodafone leveraged the emerging Bluebird constellation to facilitate a video call between Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle in Newbury, England, and Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmer in a remote mountainous region of mid-Wales, an area typically without broadband access. This breakthrough suggests that in the future, even those in isolated locations, such as atop Aran Fawddwy—the highest peak in the region—could call for help in emergencies.
Satellite Communications from LEO
AST SpaceMobile’s satellites feature significantly larger phased array antennas than those on SpaceX’s second-generation D2D Starlink satellites, which enables their advanced capabilities. However, since AST’s current constellation consists of only six satellites, Vodafone and AST carefully timed the test to coincide with satellite coverage over the western UK.
“The timings to conduct the calls are limited to whenever the satellites are overhead, which is only about 30 minutes of coverage per day currently,” AST Investors noted on LinkedIn. As AST expands its constellation, it will eventually be able to provide video, voice, and data calls to AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone. But how soon can full coverage be achieved?
According to Kevin Chen, project consultant at Jensen Hughes, AST would need 45 to 60 satellites for continuous coverage of the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and about 95 satellites for global coverage. AST has stated that it aims to launch the required satellites this year or next, with a total of 243 satellites planned by the end of 2028. This suggests that AST SpaceMobile services could begin rolling out for some operators as early as 2026 or 2027, likely starting with emergency texting and calling services similar to those introduced by Apple and Starlink/T-Mobile.
SpaceX and T-Mobile Lead the Race
Meanwhile, SpaceX and T-Mobile have launched their D2D Beta service and activated emergency texting to assist victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. Users with Samsung Galaxy S24 models, recent iPhones, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro can now sign up for the T-Mobile beta.
With its extensive satellite launch capabilities, SpaceX has a clear advantage over its competitors. Reports indicate that the company has already deployed over 100 direct-to-cell satellites, though, as previously noted by Fierce, this does not mean text services will be available everywhere just yet.
