Telus and AST SpaceMobile complete first satellite-to-smartphone integration test

Telus and AST SpaceMobile say they have completed their first satellite-to-smartphone integration test over the Canadian carrier's wireless network, joining Telus's terrestrial infrastructure to AST's space-based system to carry voice calls, text messages and broadband data to ordinary handsets, and Telus says a commercial launch will follow.

The pairing is aimed at coverage: AST's low-earth-orbit constellation is meant to widen cellular broadband across Canada's population and bring emergency service to places where a tower cannot be justified — a case the country's geography makes for itself, since large parts of Canada are rural and towers cannot be built everywhere.

Nazim Benhadid, Telus's executive vice president and chief technology officer, described the test as a step toward extending coverage to places where service isn't available today. "Connecting smartphones directly to satellites is opening up new possibilities for how Canadians stay connected," he said.

Telus expects to launch the service commercially within the next year, on eligible smartphones operating beyond the reach of traditional cell towers, but the timetable rests on AST's satellite build, which has already slipped. The satellite manufacturer had outlined plans to launch between 45 and 60 of its latest-generation BlueBird satellites this year, and has since revised the target to 45 by early 2027 — fewer satellites, later. The new date still sits ahead of Telus's launch window, but the target has slipped once, and a twelve-month service promise leaves little room for a second slip.

Chris Ivory, AST SpaceMobile's chief commercial officer, cast the result as evidence that mobile operators can extend existing networks with space-based cellular broadband "using everyday smartphones," and said it reflects the strength and maturity of the company's technology.

The satellite service sits inside a far larger terrestrial budget: Telus has said it will invest more than CA$70 billion (US$50.6 billion) over five years to expand and upgrade its network infrastructure and operations, and the company, founded in 1990, serves more than ten million mobile subscribers and also sells fiber broadband and television. Direct-to-device is a patch for the edges of that footprint, the customers a coverage map cannot profitably reach, rather than a substitute for the fiber and tower work the capital is committed to.

What share of those ten million subscribers live far enough out to need a satellite, which handsets will qualify, and what Telus will charge for the service are all open. The link between a phone and a satellite has now been demonstrated on Telus's network, but the service depends on how many satellites are in orbit, and the count Telus is depending on is 45.