AT&T could soon give you bulletproof mobile coverage thanks to a fleet of space satellites
Sometimes, whether you’re in the rugged wilderness or just in a place with poor reception, you’ll struggle with cell coverage. However, that could soon be less of an issue if you’re an AT&T customer, as the company has done just announced a plan to deliver its “first space-based broadband network directly to everyday mobile phones.”
What does that mean in practice? According to AT&T, an agreement has been reached with AST SpaceMobile to use satellites in orbit to provide cellular services to AT&T’s mobile customers. That should mean you can get service anywhere in the world, as you no longer have to rely on a nearby mast or cell tower to provide coverage for your device.
The deal runs until 2030, and while there’s no information on pricing, we don’t expect it to be cheap. What we do know is that the first five satellites will launch from Cape Canaveral this summer, although there’s no word on when AT&T customers will be able to take advantage of the new service.
Expansion of coverage
This is not the first mobile service to offer coverage from space. In 2022, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced they were collaborating on a similar offering, which became known as Starlink Direct to Cell in October 2023. In January 2024, the program’s first satellites were launched into space.
Apple, meanwhile, has been offering Emergency SOS via satellite for free on select devices since 2022. However, this feature only applies to emergency calls and not to regular communications.
With all these services on offer – and AT&T’s seemingly on the horizon – you should soon have plenty of options if you want to stay in touch with people, even in the most remote locations. AT&T says its program will be available “in the not-too-distant future,” so we’ll have to wait for further announcements – including, hopefully, price.