Sunny_days-Starry_nights :
AT&T is not currently using Starlink for its satellite based service. Instead, AT&T has partnered with AST SpaceMobile, not SpaceX’s Starlink, for its satellite to smartphone connectivity. In May 2024, AT&T signed a definitive commercial agreement with AST SpaceMobile, committing to offer satellite to cellular services using AST’s BlueBird satellite constellation through 2030. September 2024 saw the launch of AST’s first five commercial BlueBird satellites, in collaboration with AT&T, with the goal to provide voice, data, text, and video services directly to standard mobile phones. It’s T-Mobile, not AT&T, that is partnering with SpaceX’s Starlink to deliver Starlink’s “Direct‑to‑Cell” service. That offering (initially text messaging, expanding later to voice/data) is rolling out to T-Mobile and in beta, even AT&T or Verizon customers can access it but it’s managed by T-Mobile via Starlink satellites. AT&T has raised regulatory objections to the Starlink/T‑Mobile service, citing potential spectrum interference and conflicts with its AST SpaceMobile-based efforts. AT&T is not using Starlink for its satellite service it’s exclusively working with AST SpaceMobile (the BlueBird/BlueWalker systems) for its satellite to cellular rollout. Starlink’s satellite-to-smartphone offering is exclusively tied to T-Mobile, and AT&T customers can only access a limited portion of it via T-Mobile’s beta testing not as AT&T’s own satellite service.
2025-07-23 16:56:21