AST SpaceMobile, a company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, has announced that it has achieved repeated successful download speeds above 10 Mbps during testing of BlueWalker 3. The space-based cellular communications at 4G speeds using unmodified smartphones is another world-first telecommunications achievement by AST SpaceMobile. Engineers conducted download speed tests in Hawaii during June using multiple everyday, off-the-shelf smartphones. The 4G LTE download speed testing, which used AT&T spectrum and Nokia RAN technology, reached initial speeds up to 10.3 Mbps, with further testing of voice calls to AT&T employees. Evaluation of BlueWalker 3’s capabilities continues, with enablement of 5G cellular broadband as the next major test activity. AST SpaceMobile technology is designed to expand coverage for wireless companies, filling in gaps and dead zones in their networks.
