The race is on to provide high-speed connectivity in every corner of the globe. SpaceX has already deployed thousands of internet satellites, and companies like Amazon plan to get into the market soon. A company called AST SpaceMobile made news last year when it launched what amounts to a huge cell tower in space. Now, that tower has successfully beamed data to a smartphone.
AST SpaceMobile designed its BlueWalker 3 internet satellite differently than, for example, a Starlink satellite. SpaceX's satellites have relatively small antennas as they're communicating with satellite dishes on the ground. Even the largest cell phones are smaller than the Starlink dish, which means they also have smaller antennas. A phone is designed to talk to cell towers that are maybe a mile or two away, but BlueWalker 3 is in low-Earth orbit several hundred miles above our heads. The antenna on BlueWalker 3 needs to be large enough to get a signal to cell phones, which is also why astronomers have expressed frustration with it. BlueWalker 3's antenna has a total surface area of 693 square feet (64 square meters), making it one of the brightest objects in the sky.
That big antenna did its job though, even if it spoiled some astronomical observations. In a test using AT&T's LTE bands, AST SpaceMobile was able to send data from space to a regular, off-the-shelf smartphone at an impressive 10.3 Mbps. That's scarcely what we'd call high-speed these days, but it's a 4G signal from space. It would be plenty fast enough for browsing the web, sending messages, and streaming video in passable quality.
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You might notice there was no discussion of upload speeds. That's because it's a one-way connection for now. While the BlueWalker 3 satellite has a house-sized antenna array, the phone in your pocket does not. It's unclear if a terrestrial cell phone will ever be able to send data up to a satellite at high speeds without major alterations.
AST SpaceMobile believes this is an important step toward its goal of expanding cellular connectivity to the entire globe. It's not alone in that quest. SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile to provide satellite connectivity, but the specifics speak to how difficult it will be to get smartphones talking to a satellite. The Tmo plan only promises messaging with select apps, but the companies hope to add voice and data coverage later.
