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...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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 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....
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...
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 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...
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'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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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,...
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 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...