The satellites will provide the basis for initial commercial NTN services for carriers including AT&T and Verizon
Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has confirmed the successful — and right-on-schedule — launch of its first five BlueBird satellites. The satellites are destined for low Earth orbit, providing the basis for initial commercial non-terrestrial network (NTN) services for carriers including AT&T and Verizon.
According to AST SpaceMobile, the beams from its BlueBird satellites are designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, delivering peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps. The goal is to provide approximately 100% nationwide coverage from space with more than 5,600 coverage cells in the United States.
A press statement from the company featured a comment from Mickey Mikitani, Rakuten group chairman and CEO, who said: “Today’s historic launch from Kennedy Space Center marks the next step in our shared mission of democratizing telecommunications. Mobile connectivity is a necessity no matter where you are. We are proud to be working with a trailblazer like AST SpaceMobile to create a more connected world.” Rakuten is an investor in AST SpaceMobile.
in addition to investments from Rakuten and U.S. carrier partners AT&T and Verizon, AST SpaceMobile has also secured strategic investments from Google and Vodafone, as well as contracts with the United States Government through prime contractors. Further, more than 45 mobile operators around the world have signed agreements with the satellite company. These include Bell Canada, Orange, Telefonica, TIM, Saudi Telecom Company, MTN, Zain KSA, Etisalat, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Globe Telecom.
When confirming the launch date, AST SpaceMobile’s Founder, Chairman and CEO Abel Avellan said: “We believe space-based broadband cellular connectivity will revolutionize how people connect, empowering communities and driving economic growth on a global scale.”
A recording of the event will be available on AST SpaceMobile’s YouTube channel.
