AT&T and AST SpaceMobile, with supporting ground-based technology from Ericsson and Nokia, have achieved what they believe is the industry’s first successful handoff between a ground-based cellular network and a direct-to-device satellite network.
Your phone should just stay connected.
Currently, moving between ground and satellite coverage can mean a dropped call or interrupted connection. The companies are engineering a seamless experience where the network does the work behind the scenes, helping you stay connected in more places.
The milestone occurred Wednesday, October 21, 2026, outside Granite Falls, Washington, at 8:15 a.m. PT. It builds on previous voice calls, text messages and video calls through AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites using everyday smartphones.
This time, the companies tackled a different challenge: moving a connection between AT&T’s ground-based wireless network and AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network seamlessly. That’s why collaboration matters:
AT&T provides America’s strongest nationwide wireless network.
AST SpaceMobile provides the satellite network designed to connect directly with everyday smartphones.
Ericsson provides AT&T the combined radio and core technology with intelligent network automation to optimize handoffs between ground-based and satellite networks—reducing transition times from seconds to milliseconds, so customers, first responders, and other essential workers stay connected.
Nokia provides the radio access technology and mobility software that power AST SpaceMobile’s space-based network enabling seamless handover, service continuity and a smooth customer experience as users move between terrestrial networks and satellite coverage.
Building on the strength of AT&T’s terrestrial network, AST SpaceMobile satellite connectivity is designed to complement and extend, not replace, the network by extending service to remote and hard-to-reach areas, keeping customers stay connected as wherever they live, work and travel. This successful handoff advances the integration needed to deliver that experience, with terrestrial and satellite networks working together behind the scenes. For customers, the experience should be simple: staying connected without having to think about the technology behind it.
Advancing Toward Beta
“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,” says Robert Walters, SVP Network, AT&T. “The broader objective is to progress ultimately to commercial service.”
“Together with AT&T we are making cellular broadband coverage from space a seamless part of the mobile network people use every day,” says Wayne Thorsen, Chief Commercial Officer, AST SpaceMobile. “Our space-based network, powered by our BlueBird satellites, with the largest communication arrays ever deployed in low Earth orbit is designed to give people more places to make calls, use their apps, stream content and stay connected with the smartphones they already own. It also adds a new layer of resilience for first responders who depend on reliable communications when it matters most.”
As AT&T moves toward beta and commercial service, the focus remains on extending connectivity farther and making it simpler for customers.