Verizon and AST SpaceMobile have a $100 million deal for satellite cellular service

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AST says the new Verizon deal will let it target ‘100 percent coverage’ of the continental US for its space-to-cellphone service.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

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Illustration of the Verizon logo over a red and black background

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Verizon’s inked a deal with satellite broadband provider AST SpaceMobile to help fill customers’ coverage gaps when they travel outside the reach of terrestrial cell towers. The company is committing $100 million in a new deal connecting AST’s satellite network to mobile phones using the 850 Mhz band.

AST SpaceMobile is launching five satellites into low orbit this summer and recently announced a deal with AT&T, which joined Google and Vodafone as an investor in AST earlier this year, that runs through 2030.

Apple added an Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhone 14 and 15 that lets you message for roadside assistance through AAA (and also Verizon) in areas of no connectivity. Android is also getting similar messaging features. However, AST SpaceMobile or Starlink and T-Mobile’s satellite-to-cellular links support features like voice and video calls.

AST SpaceMobile founder and CEO Abel Avellan is quoted saying the arrangement with Verizon will enable the company “to target 100 percent coverage of the continental United States.” AST SpaceMobile demonstrated “the ‘first ever’ 5G connection between an unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space” last year with a phone call from a wireless dead zone in Hawaii.

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