Earlier this year, AST SpaceMobile completed a 4G call but on September 8, it completed a 5G call on AT&T spectrum. What’s important about this achievement is that the call was made to an unmodified Samsung smartphone. Download speeds of 14 Mbps were achieved.
We see AST’s demonstration as proof that the LEO satellite industry can contribute meaningfully to the telecommunications services industry. Other companies, such as Starlink, plan to demonstrate similar services soon, as well. We think that space-based telecommunications will provide an opportunity to reduce terrestrial tower-related capital spending at some point – probably during the 6G-era.