On September 21st, AST SpaceMobile, headquartered in Midland, announced a groundbreaking achievement - the first-ever 5G connection between a regular smartphone and a satellite in space. This feat was made possible with the use of the BlueWalker 3 satellite, which has roots in the Permian Basin.
"Once again, we have achieved a significant technological advancement that represents a paradigm shift in access to information,” said Abel Avellan, the chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. He further added, “Since the launch of BlueWalker 3, we have achieved full compatibility with phones made by all major manufacturers and support for 2G, 4G LTE, and now 5G."
AST SpaceMobile engineers successfully placed a call from a wireless dead zone on the Hawaiian island of Maui to a Vodafone engineer in Madrid, Spain, using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone on September 8th. This call covered a distance of approximately 8,000 miles. The company had already completed 5G connectivity testing with partners Vodafone, AT&T, and Nokia.
Avellan emphasized that this achievement marked "another significant advancement" in telecommunications pioneered by AST SpaceMobile. He expressed confidence in the potential of space-based cellular broadband to transform internet connectivity globally and bridge the gap for the unconnected.
Margherita Della Valle, from the Vodafone Group, highlighted the importance of this call in closing the mobile usage gap that extends from Europe to Africa. She stated, "By making the world's first space-based 5G call to Europe, we have taken another important step in realizing that ambition. We're excited to be at the forefront of space technology through our partnership with AST SpaceMobile."
Overall, AST SpaceMobile's achievement of the first 5G connection between a regular smartphone and a satellite in space demonstrates the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of telecommunications technology and expanding internet connectivity across the globe.