T · News · 20261106N

Direct-to-Device Satellite Venture

AT&T INC. · 2026-11-06 · Importance 31 · Surprise 42

AT&T and AST SpaceMobile completed what AT&T called the first successful handoff between a terrestrial cellular network and a direct-to-device satellite connection. The test used standard smartphones, demonstrating a technology transition between terrestrial and satellite connectivity. The report provides no commercial launch timing or customer adoption data.

Key facts

• AT&T's test with AST SpaceMobile produced what AT&T calls the first successful handoff between a terrestrial cellular network and a direct-to-device satellite connection using standard smartphones. source