2023-04-26 07:45:05
AST SpaceMobile, with the help of AT&T, has just announced the realization of the first ever two-way voice call via satellite, all on a Samsung Galaxy S22. This feat could be achieved on other devices in the future.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has just made history by becoming the first smartphone to make a satellite voice call. This incredible feat was achieved through a partnership between AST SpaceMobile and AT&T, and made using a standard device from Texas to a phone in Japan.
The AST SpaceMobile and AT&T partnership used the Galaxy S22 Ultra to place a call to the BlueWalker 3 satellite. Once the call was received by the satellite, it was forwarded to the phone in Japan using an AT&T spectrum as the intermediary. The phones successfully exchanged SIM and network information through the Bluewalker 3 satellite, a first. This innovative approach theoretically allows any smartphone equipped with 4G LTE technology to work.
Read also – iPhone 14 saves the lives of 3 students lost in the middle of a canyon thanks to the satellite call
Satellite calls will soon be democratized
If the iPhone 14 was the first to offer emergency communications by satellite, it was only a question until now not a two-way call, and especially not with any other interlocutor.
The partnership between AST, AT&T and Vodafone could potentially revolutionize satellite communication. If research on this application continues, various regions could be connected using standard smartphones instead of specialized means of communication. It could be especially beneficial in cellular dead zones, where standard cellular towers cannot be installed.
Note that the company also called on engineers from Vodafone, Rakuten and AT&T to prepare and test the BW3. It is therefore a real collective achievement, which we hope will will encourage other major players in the industry to embark on this path.
In the future, all smartphones will be able to make calls, send/receive texts and even get internet connectivity without expensive cell tower infrastructure. This could bring 4G/LTE and 5G connectivity to remote areas that would otherwise have no connectivity infrastructure. It now remains to be seen when this technology can be deployed more widely to the greatest number.
1682496034
#Satellite #calls #smartphone #coming