AT&T and AST SpaceMobile recently announced that they had made significant progress in the provision of direct-to-device (D2D) services after handing off a call from a terrestrial to satellite network.
There is some disagreement between the pair over whether the handoff was a first: AT&T proclaimed it so, but AST SpaceMobile was more cautious in its statement on the feat, indicating a belief it is the first rather than going all in.
Regardless, the pair handed over a call from a land-based network employing Ericsson and Nokia equipment to AST SpaceMobile low Earth orbit satellites, a substantial advance in D2D service goals, as AT&T SVP of Network Robert Walters explained.
“The successful handoff is a significant milestone, but it’s not the finish line. The next phase is expected to include beta services under real-world conditions, allowing the companies to further refine performance”.
AST SpaceMobile CCO Wayne Thorsen said the companies are working to make space-based connectivity “a seamless part of the mobile network”.
The companies noted the handoff is significant because network tweaks made the shift between terrestrial and satellite infrastructure seamless, eliminating the risk of interrupted or dropped calls.
AT&T is an investor in AST SpaceMobile and one of several big-name operators working closely with the satellite company to advance the D2D sector.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: AT&T
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Source: Tahawul Tech