Update from April 16, 2025:
AT&T tells us that the removal of the ad “has nothing to do with launch dates and does not hint at a delay.” The company notes that launching a satellite program takes time and it’s following due process and working with its partners and the FCC.
The company says that nearly half of its customers already have access to peer-to-peer messaging and emergency satellite services.
We’re working with AST SpaceMobile to one day offer a full suite of connectivity: voice, data, video and text services in remote, off-grid locations. Our customers will have access to a satellite-based cellular network with a standard smartphone – no special device is needed.
—Madelynn Traylor, Communication & PR Manager at AT&T, April 2025
AST exercised option for additional orbital launches, with full contracted launch capacity now for approximately 60 satellites during 2025 and 2026
The five initial satellites…will target approximately 100% nationwide coverage from space with over 5,600 coverage cells in the United States.
The next-generation Block 2 BlueBirds featuring up to 2,400 square-foot communications arrays, are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird satellites in orbit, enabling peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps, supporting voice, full data, and video applications, and other native cellular capabilities.
—Madelynn Traylor, Communication & PR Manager at AT&T, April 2025
AT&T briefly teased its satellite service, before pulling the announcement, suggesting the launch might have been delayed.
AT&T has teamed up with satellite designer and manufacturer AST SpaceMobile to bring satellite connectivity to its subscribers to ensure they won’t be without connectivity in areas without signals from its land-based network. In February, AST SpaceMobile received permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to test its technology.
T-Mobile and Verizon have already launched their satellite services. AT&T seems to be feeling the pressure as the company launched a market campaign with rollout dates, only to pull it back.
The company is seemingly hoping to roll out satellite texting for certain compatible devices this year and call support in late 2026.
It’s not clear why the ad was removed, but it seems to hint at a delay. AST SpaceMobile only has five of its BlueBird satellites in orbit and hopes to launch around 45 to 60 more by 2026 to offer satellite-fueled texting, calling, and data. This will be shared by its various partners, including Verizon, which is currently relying on another partner for its satellite program.
AST SpaceMobile looks to be more ambitious than T-Mobile. It says that its satellites are bigger and more capable than those used by T-Mobile and Apple.
However, it’s one thing to commit to something and another to deliver. T-Mobile is inching closer to a public rollout and might offer data and voice capabilities soon, provided its plans don’t get derailed by competitors.
AST SpaceMobile, on the other hand, still has regulatory hurdles to jump over before it can connect its satellites to AT&T and Verizon‘s subscribers using their spectrum holdings, per TMF Associates analyst Tim Farrar. The company’s huge satellites may have difficulty getting into orbit.
And, skepticism aside, AST SpaceMobile’s FCC filing doesn’t inspire much confidence in its ability to support a wide-scale rollout anytime soon.
First of all, AST SpaceMobile’s testing for AT&T will initially be limited to FirstNet, the dedicated network for first responders commissioned by the US government. Moreover, testing will only be conducted with 45 smartphones, making you question the service’s capacity.
One promising aspect is that the company says that it aims to provide voice and data services to first responders, hinting customers won’t be stuck with texting only. And AST SpaceMobile will offer these capabilities while complying with strict power limits for which T-Mobile‘s partner SpaceX got a waiver.
AT&T’s initial testing will help it to eventually launch a nationwide direct-to-cell service.
