Your smartphone may soon pick up 4G signals sent from space

Texas-based company AST SpaceMobile has made a breakthrough by successfully transmitting a 4G LTE signal from space that can be received by conventional smartphones, without the need for hardware modifications.

If today we rely on telecom towers to receive our 4G signals, it may soon come directly from space. AST SpaceMobile announced it The BlueWalker 3 (BW3) satellite has successfully transmitted a 4G signal to a smartphone on Earth. This is the “first world”.

Trials were conducted in Hawaii using AT&T frequencies and Nokia RAN technology. The signal, transmitted by the AST satellite in low Earth orbit, reached speeds of up to 10.3 Mbit/s. This speed is sufficient for streaming video, using the Internet, or exchanging messages on various platforms. AST SpaceMobile plans to conduct its next major test using a 5G connection.

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4G from space will soon be a reality

The company has been working on this project for several years now, and it’s not the only company that wants to transmit data from space. In 2020, Lynk Global sent text messages via satellite, and Project KuiperAmazon aims to deploy up to 83 satellites in low Earth orbit starting in 2024.

The FCC is actively working to create legal frameworks that allow companies to provide cellular services from space. Moreover, AST SpaceMobile already ran a test in April, during which it successfully routed a voice call via satellite between a Samsung Galaxy S22 in Texas and an iPhone in Japan.

The next step is to send more powerful satellites into space, and to commercialize this technology. AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites, which are much larger than the BlueWalker 3 test satellite and designed to support commercial traffic, You should achieve higher data speeds. ” We plan to launch 5 new BlueBird satellites in the first quarter of 2024, with initial commercial offerings in select markets throughout 2024. “, the company announced. Starting next year, the first customers should be able to connect directly to a fourth-generation satellite with their smartphones.