A new breakthrough in the communications industry: the first 5G call through satellite

CTOnews.com, September 20 (Xinhua)-- AST SpaceMobile, a cellular satellite company sponsored by US telecom operator AT&T, recently announced its first 5G network call via satellite, marking the "first" 5G connection between a conventional smartphone and a space satellite.

AST SpaceMobile made a satellite call on September 8, 2023 from an area not covered by a cellular network in Maui, Hawaii, and the receiver connected the call in Madrid, Spain, using a Samsung Galaxy S22 phone.

AST SpaceMobile uses its low Earth orbit test satellite BlueWalker 3 (BW3) to send cellular signals to its destination using the 5G spectrum of AT&T. Vodafone, Nokia and AT&T all verified the call.

Abel Avellan, CEO of CTOnews.com translator AST SpaceMobile, partially stated: "once again, we have made significant technological progress, which represents a paradigm shift in access to information. Since the launch of BW3, we have achieved full compatibility with handsets produced by all major manufacturers and support 2G, 4G LTE and 5G networks."