Verizon and AT&T to bring satellite video calls to customers

What just happened? Verizon and AT&T have separately announced major milestones that could accelerate the launch of commercial cellphone-to-satellite video calls. According to their press releases, both carriers have successfully completed their first Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) video calls between smartphones on their respective networks and devices connected via AST SpaceMobile’s new Bluebird LEO satellites.

AT&T completed its first two-way voice calls using AST’s BlueWalker 3 satellite in April 2023, marking the first time any company achieved a direct voice connection from space to an unmodified smartphone. According to the company’s press release at the time, the first voice call was made from Midland, Texas to Rakuten engineers in Japan over AT&T spectrum using a Samsung Galaxy S22.

The carrier upped the ante a couple of months later when it completed the first-ever over-the-top video application call over AT&T spectrum. In September 2023, AT&T and AST completed the first direct-to-cellular 5G call between an everyday smartphone and a satellite in space. The call was made from Maui, Hawaii, to Madrid, Spain, using AT&T Spectrum and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite.

AT&T says that nearly half of its customers already have access to multiple satellite features, including peer-to-peer messaging and emergency services. The company expressed hope that the latest advancements will make communication more accessible and reliable for consumers, businesses, and first responders, especially in rural areas and the wilderness.

Verizon claims that the satellite video call is a “significant step forward” in its efforts to complement its terrestrial network with satellite connectivity. To that end, the carrier is partnering with AST to build the “fastest satellite to device network” with text, voice, and live video calling capabilities.

Like AT&T, Verizon also expressed confidence that the new capability will help its customers make calls, video chat, and send files to their peers regardless of where they are in the US.

The satellite video call trials were conducted after the FCC authorized AST SpaceMobile’s planned tests using AT&T and Verizon’s spectrum. The authorization allows AST to use its first five commercial BlueBird Low Earth Orbit satellites to test connectivity with smartphones.

Once deployed, the satellite-terrestrial commercial networks are expected to support voice, data, and video applications, along with other native cellular capabilities.