The prospect of connecting to a satellite to send a text message or call emergency services could soon become an effortless reality as startups move from proof of concept to actual product. Canadians on Rogers Network, who just signed a deal with Link, will get direct satellite connections across the country; Not to be outdone, AST SpaceMobile claims to have made the first satellite voice call using a regular cell phone as well.
Connecting a smartphone like Samsung or last year’s iPhone to a satellite would have seemed like a fantasy a few years ago, when we all knew it was impossible. But now companies are jockeying for position as it becomes clear that satellite services will be a compelling offering on any cell phone plan or phone model for the next few years.
Lynk’s approach is to offer as universal an SMS service as possible to as much of the planet as possible, with the hope that no one who needs help or is out of the network for any other reason will experience “no signal”. It showed text messages out of the middle of nowhere (the founder actually texted me) and can even cover an unexpected no-signal area—due to a power outage or natural disaster—with important information like where to find shelter.
The company has done deals around the world with several carriers, and is now closing in on the US (which has a strict regulatory environment and well-established mobile operators) with a deal with Canada’s largest provider, Rogers.
Although the idea is that everyone will be able to use this, every satellite cellular station still needs to work through a licensed carrier. The Rogers deal doesn’t mean complete exclusivity (eg you’re lost and need help but have a different carrier) but it’s the carrier that pays Lynk, and it will receive payment from customers across Canada as the local partner. I’ve asked for more details on this and will update if I hear back.
Bringing a more comprehensive communication package to the table is AST SpaceMobile, which launched its first experimental satellite and for the first time demonstrated a direct phone-to-satellite call using an unmodified consumer phone. I double checked (these things can be tricky) and the connection was a continuous two-way data exchange between the phone and the satellite, which relays it to the terrestrial network:
An Abel phone in Texas was connected directly to the satellite to send and receive two-way communications, without any other medium. He placed the phone call by typing the number into Samsung’s normal dialer app on the Galaxy S22, just as you would with any normal phone call. The other end of the phone call was received in Japan via the normal terrestrial communication network (cell tower).
Demonstrating the capability is a huge step forward, since the engineering involved in getting a normal phone to communicate with something in low-Earth orbit is already difficult — maintaining that connection to the point where data can constantly flow between them is even more challenging. Scaling is another issue AST SpaceMobile will face, but after demonstrating the ability, that challenge seems less daunting now.
The company’s BW3 satellite is the prototype for a constellation that will provide “2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G” coverage from space, which is great because I’m missing 5G as I go down the block. Help me, AST SpaceMobile.
Of course Apple made headlines with its Emergency SOS service, which connects to the Iridium network but requires you to kind of see your phone on a passing satellite in order to exchange a set of pre-made messages. Handy if you’re stuck in a valley and need a helicopter to pick you up, but not if you want to check the weather or tell your spouse your backpacking trip is going well.
Then there are T-Mobile and SpaceX, which plan to provide Starlink data connectivity to network customers. While no one can top Starlink’s ability to provide a signal from orbit, it has yet to demonstrate an orbital connection with an unmodified phone, something it is supposed to do this year.
Soon these services will move from one experience to another and we will be back to the days when texts cost a dime. Still, it’s better than nothing, and that’s definitely what a lot of people have once they leave town for a walk or go fishing. Let’s hope it stays on-demand connectivity, though — no one needs to be receiving spam from orbit while waiting for trout to bite at a remote mountain lake. This is not the future anyone wants.