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3, 2, 1, blast off: AST SpaceMobile confirms September satellite launch date

Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has confirmed a target launch date of September 12 for its first five BlueBird satellites, destined for low Earth orbit, which will provide the basis for initial commercial non-terrestrial network (NTN) services for carriers including AT&T and Verizon. The...

AST SpaceMobile says its LEO satellites are ready for takeoff

The AST SpaceMobile satellites will depart from a launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida in September Satellite direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has completed construction of its first five Bluebird low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and announced a shipment scheduled for the first week of August, followed by...

Rakuten Mobile aims to provide satellite-to-mobile service in Japan

Rakuten Mobile said that this new offering could be launched in 2026 Japanese telco Rakuten Mobile announced plans to start provide satellite-to-mobile service in Japan in 2026 in partnership with AST SpaceMobile. Rakuten Mobile said that the actual timing of the initiation of any such service...

Telstra claims largest deployment of LEO backhaul in Australia

Telstra made the launch in partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb Eutelsat Group and Australian carrier Telstra announced the launch of what they claim is the largest rollout of Eutelsat OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) backhaul in Australia. The launch follows the signing of a strategic multi-year agreement...

Vodafone enters satellite deal with Amazon’s Project Kuiper

Project Kuiper will connect geographically dispersed cellular antennas back to Vodafone’s core telecom network Vodafone Group and Amazon’s Project Kuiper will use low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to extend 4G and 5G connectivity in Europe and Africa, particularly for those in underserved communities. Project Kuiper will...

UK government explores plan to open $204 million satellite fund

The government said that this satellite fund would be complemented by a range of live 5G integration projects The U.K government said it is aiming to boost broadband and 5G coverage in the country with a potential plan to launch a £160 million ($204 million)...

Telstra, Starlink partner on rural connectivity in Australia

Telstra said it expects the new Starlink service options to be available for customers and businesses towards the end of 2023 Australian operator Telstra said Monday that it will tap into Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide fixed broadband...

AT&T, AST SpaceMobile seek FCC approval for spectrum leasing deal

AT&T has agreed to lease spectrum in the 700 MHz and 850 MHz bands to AST SpaceMobile In an official filing, AT&T asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve waivers allowing satellite-direct-to-phone company AST SpaceMobile to operate on leased spectrum from the carrier....

UK selects LEO satellite company for rural broadband trials

OneWeb currently has a constellation of 618 LEO satellites Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb has been selected for two broadband trials in the U.K. as part of the government’s Very Hard to Reach Premises connectivity program, which aims to deliver connectivity to...

‘Bienvenido Starlink’ — Ecuador welcomes commercial satellite broadband

Starlink services are now available on Ecuador's Galapagos Islands Ecuador welcomed SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services this weekend, with operations going live in the Galapagos Islands. “Bienvenido Starlink,” tweeted the country’s President Guillermo Lasso, adding his appreciation for Telecom Ecuador, the government’s telecommunications ministry, which is...

Amazon unveils Project Kuiper terminals

Amazon will offer three terminals designed for different use cases Amazon has given a glimpse at its progress toward its Project Kuiper ambitions of providing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based broadband connectivity for consumers, businesses and IoT applications. The company provided images and descriptions of three...

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon Satellite for premium phones

The solution uses Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems and Iridium satellite constellation's weather-resistant L-band spectrum Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite, announced at CES 2023, is designed to provide global, two-way messaging capabilities for smartphones. The solution is supported by Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems and weather-resilient L-band spectrum...

Amazon to launch, test Kuiper system

Amazon's Project Kuiper aims to support broadband with thousands of LEO satellites Amazon is prepping for more extensive testing of its prototype Kuiper LEO broadband communications system, based on an application for Special Temporary Authority (STA) granted by the Federal Communications Commission last Friday. Amazon...

FCC grants SpaceX partial permission to launch Starlink Gen2

The federal agency sharply curtailed the number of satellites Starlink sought to launch, citing orbital safety concerns The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday granted private space firm SpaceX partial permission to get started on their second-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. With this clearance,...

Apple activates iPhone 14 emergency satellite service

US and Canada get the service first, with France, Germany, Ireland and the U.K. coming in December Apple on Wednesday announced that it has activated the much-touted “Emergency SOS by satellite” feature of its recently released iPhone 14. The new feature will enable iPhone 14 and...

AST SpaceMobile deems direct-to-cell satellite launch successful

The BlueWalker 3 was launched in September on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket Satellite designer and manufacturer AST SpaceMobile has shared that its direct-to-cell satellite, the BlueWalker 3, which launched in September on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, has been successfully deployed. The update is considered a critical step...

EU is close to funding its own satellite internet system – report

Officials are expected to hash out the remaining details of the €6 billion project next week European Union (EU) countries and European Parliament officials are close to a finalizing a €6 billion (US$6.18 billion) deal to put a satellite internet system into orbit. The European...

Apple spent $450M to get iPhone-to-satellite service working

The company drew from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, previously used for R&D investments in Corning and others Apple’s iPhone 14, introduced in September, is the first iPhone to sport Emergency SOS by satellite functionality. Apple claimed on Thursday that the key feature was made possible...

The FCC to establish a Space Bureau to better support satellite industry

The FCC has received applications for 64,000 new satellites, said Chairwoman Rosenworcel The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reorganizing to better support the growing satellite industry by transforming the International Bureau into two entities: The Space Bureau and a standalone Office of International Affairs. According...

First boats, then planes, now Starlink comes to RVs

Flat High Performance Starlink brings satellite broadband to your camper  SpaceX has announced Starlink for RVs (Recreational Vehicles). The latest permutation of broadband internet service provided by Starlink’s constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) costs $135 per month, plus $599 in hardware fees — a...

SpaceX’s Starlink branches out to aviation

The satellite broadband service promises up to 350 Mbps with no caps, for $25K a month (plus equipment) SpaceX announced this week Starlink Aviation, a new business unit of its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service tasked with expanding into the in-flight Wi-Fi market. The...

Sateliot and AWS collaborate on direct-to-satellite 5G-based NB-IoT connectivity

Satellite telecom operator Sateliot is working to provide direct-to-satellite narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) connectivity, delivered by Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites. The company announced this week a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a fully virtualized cloud-native 5G core for its NB-IoT service,...

Lynk satellite-to-phone service gets FCC approval

With commercial services set to start this year, Lynk’s CEO says the sky's the limit Satellite telecom service provider Lynk has announced that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted the company a commercial license to operate its satellite-based direct-to-mobile service. The company expects...

Speedcast, Starlink sign maritime, enterprise distribution deal

Speedcast announced this week a new partnership with broadband satellite service provider Starlink to provide Starlink services to Speedcast’s maritime and enterprise customers. Speedcast said that it’s already been supporting customer trials of Starlink as part of its own integrated services package. The announcement took place...