Ordinary Smartphone Caught A Space 4G Internet
Texas-based AST SpaceMobile has tested the “world’s first” satellite Internet for mobile communications, reports The Verge. The operator used its BlueWalker 3 satellite to transmit a signal to 5G smartphones, but it turned out that even smartphones that do not support 5G can receive Internet from space.
A test of transmitting a 4G LTE signal directly from an orbiting satellite, which actually acted as a space base station, was carried out in the frequency range of the American operator AT&T in Hawaii. The test also used Nokia RAN communications technology. The signal transmitted from the AST satellite in low Earth orbit has reached speeds of up to 10.3 Mbps.
This speed is quite sufficient for video streaming, normal Internet use, as well as normal use of the cellular network. In April this year, AST also conducted a test in which a direct satellite call was made between Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone users in Texas and iPhone users in Japan.
According to AST CEO Abel Avellan, their project will give residents of remote regions the ability to send text messages, make calls, use the Internet to download files and even broadcast video using a signal transmitted from space.
