woohoo, more satellites. Just what we need

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Google, AT&T, and Vodafone are investing $206.5 million in AST SpaceMobile, a Starlink competitor that plans to offer smartphone service from low-Earth-orbit satellites.

“Vodafone and AT&T have placed purchase orders for network equipment from AST SpaceMobile to support planned commercial service,” the satellite company said.

Google has meanwhile “agreed to collaborate on product development, testing, and implementation plans for SpaceMobile network connectivity on Android and related devices.”

They plan “to provide mobile broadband to unserved and underserved areas covered by the Leased Spectrum,” the companies told the Federal Communications Commission in an application last year.

In April 2023, the companies announced that they completed the first two-way voice calls using AST SpaceMobile’s test satellite with standard mobile phones.

In September 2023, AST SpaceMobile said it made “the first-ever 5G connection for voice and data between an everyday, unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space” and that it achieved a download rate of 14Mbps.

The original article contains 648 words, the summary contains 153 words. Saved 76%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!