AT&T just made a 5G call through a satellite

Move over, AI! There are other innovations getting attention in this modern-day era, and satellite calling is one of them. Several companies are looking to break down the barrier between our phones and the satellites orbiting the Earth. According to Cord Cutters, using the AT&T 5G network, a user was able to make a call through a satellite.

Several companies are looking to usher us into the age of satellite calls. You’re able to make SOS satellite calls using your iPhone. Also, companies like Huawei and Samsung are looking to bring satellite calls to the public. Using this technology, people far away from signal towers will still be able to get a signal. If you’re out in the middle of nowhere, this could come in handy.

An AT&T 5G call was made through a satellite

We’re stepping toward satellite calls, and this call was a major leap forward. Back on September 8th, an AST SpaceMobile engineer was able to successfully complete a call from Maui, Hawaii to Madrid, Spain. This call used AT&T’s 5G network, and it was completed through AST SpaceMobile’s own low-Earth orbit satellite called BlueWalker3.

There are two things that are notable about this call . Firstly, this is a major step forward. This involves a phone call between two regular phones routed through a satellite. Apple’s implementation is restricted to emergency calls, which isn’t a bad thing. It just limits the use case. The call made through AT&T could have been a casual call.

Secondly, the area in Maui was far from any cell tower; it was basically in the middle of nowhere. That call would have been impossible under other circumstances. Ostensibly, this could make dead zones a thing of the past.

AST SpaceMobile has been performing equally incredible feats over the past couple of months. In April this year, the team was able to make the first direct-to-device voice call between Texas and Japan. Then, in June, they made history again by completing the first file download using BlueWalker in a dead zone in Maui. They were able to reach 10Mbps download speeds.

They didn’t stop there, as the team completed the first video call on 4G using the satellite technology. Also, they were able to tap speeds up to 14Mbps. Who knows what milestone the team will pass next?