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Verizon has a new partner when it comes to bringing satellite connectivity to US consumers. On Wednesday, AST SpaceMobile, a satellite company that aims to provide connectivity from space, announced that it has reached a “strategic partnership” with Verizon that includes a $100 million commitment from the carrier.
AST SpaceMobile had previously announced that it was working with AT&T on a similar plan to cover the US with cellular coverage from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites from space. According to the satellite company, the deal will allow it to “target 100% coverage of the continental United States on premium 850 MHz spectrum,” with the partnership “essentially eliminating dead zones and enabling remote areas of the country with space connectivity.”
Space-based connectivity has become an increasing focus for wireless companies as they seek to fill gaps in their coverage that traditional ground-based cell towers cannot cover. In addition to AST SpaceMobile’s work with AT&T, Verizon previously discussed satellite link to Amazon’s Kuiper Project while T-Mobile announced a similar deal with SpaceX’s Starlink.
Because it uses 850 MHz of low-frequency spectrum, users with new devices may not need to upgrade to take advantage, as Verizon already uses the airwaves for some of its 4G LTE and 5G services. AST SpaceMobile says its service “has been tested on all major brands of everyday smartphones in use today and is backwards compatible with no phone modifications required.”
Both AT&T and T-Mobile have similarly talked about how users won’t have to upgrade their devices to be able to connect to the satellites, though neither carrier has specified whether you’ll have to pay more for the feature or you have special plans to use space connectivity.
When Verizon signed its deal with Amazon in 2021, a spokesperson for the carrier said it was looking at ways to directly connect to satellites from devices. The spokesperson also said the partnership wasn’t exclusive to either side, and while the goal was to “use this to make the entire U.S. map red,” referring to the color of Verizon and its coverage maps, where red shows areas where you can find its wireless services, no timeline is given. Verizon tells CNET it still plans to continue working with Amazon’s Kuiper project. which is still testing its satellites.
AST SpaceMobile already did demonstrates test calls from space using the Galaxy S22 and AT&T’s network and says it plans to “deliver our first five commercial satellites to the launch pad in July or August of this year,” with plans to begin initial operations sometime in 2025.
T-Mobile and SpaceX announced earlier this year that the first satellites that support T-Mobile’s network launched into orbit.
T-Mobile’s deal with Starlink is exclusive to the US carrier, and while there’s no timetable for when it will launch for consumers, the carrier says it plans to start with text when it goes live, before expanding to support voice and data in the future. AST SpaceMobile says its satellite broadband service supports video, voice and data.
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