Blooper Alert: During this radio spot, David, Beth and Rob call the AST SpaceMobile “AST SmartMobile.”  Because we are ACTSmart, David’s spell checker “corrected” AST SpaceMobile to ACT “SmartMobile.” He caught the ACT instead of AST but missed the Smart instead of Space! Because it was in the original document that he sent to Rob and Beth, they all misread the company’s name! This article is correct but the show recording has the blooper!

You probably haven’t heard about BlueBird yet from AST SpaceMobile. This Texas based innovator is launching the world’s first space-based cellular broadband network. Blue Origin (owned by Jeff Besos)

AST has received investments from AT&T, Verizon and Google and plans on kicking off beta tests with the BlueBird satellites as soon as this month (December 2024). However, AST SpaceMobile will need to launch between 45 to 60 commercial satellites before it can offer continuous coverage to the US, which will likely take several more months, if not a year or longer.

Each BlueBird satellites is carrying what AST SpaceMobile says is the world’s largest communication array, measuring at 700 square feet (1/2 the size of a football field). The large array enables the satellites to efficiently relay data from Earth, turning each BlueBird into an orbiting cell tower in space that can harness 5G spectrum.

AST SpaceMobile has been working on satellites to help carriers worldwide serve users in cellular dead zones. The technology can power video calls and internet downloads as fast as 21Mbps to unmodified smartphones, according to earlier tests with the company’s first satellite.

The company is developing even more powerful satellites that will be three times larger than the current model. The next units will be upwards of 2,400 sq ft—about the size of a single-family home.

But the company isn’t alone in trying to power satellite connectivity to phones. AST SpaceMobile is poised to compete with SpaceX’s own cellular satellite system through Starlink, which is slated to launch through T-Mobile.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) has launched over 100 direct-to-smartphone satellites and partnered with T-Mobile in the United States. The companies recently received temporary permission from the FCC to enable emergency alerts and texting after hurricanes knocked out cell towers in North Carolina and Florida.

You may have seen the following information on the local news: The StarLink satellites were visible over our area as of December 1 and should continue to be visible through December 6^th.

Here’s the next suggested sighting:
5:50 pm, 3 Dec 2024
Starlink-209 (G6-76) (new), DIM (3.1) for 5 mins
Look from WEST to SOUTHWEST (details)
Elevation (from horizon): start: 10°, max: 55°, end: 55°

To track the StarLink satellites near your home, use this link:
https://findstarlink.com/

StarLink satellites real time map:
https://satellitemap.space/?constellation=starlink

Here’s an explainer video from AST SpaceMobile.
https://youtu.be/GO9-SBCq8oY

David Snell joins Rob Hakala and Beth Foster of the South Shore’s Morning News on 95.9 WATD fm every Tuesday at 8:11

You can listen to this broadcast here: https://actsmartit.com/cellphones-around-world/