ISRO's US Satellite Launch May Make Phone Calls Directly Via Space A Reality

India is all set to launch a massive American communications satellite that would allow making phone calls using direct connectivity from space. This is a highly innovative and a more modern approach to satellite telephony than the existing services.

This is also the first time an American company is launching a massive communications satellite from India in a dedicated launch on an Indian rocket. Till date, India has only launched small satellites made by American entities.  

India's Science Minister Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that "In February or March we will be launching a US satellite for mobile communication, this satellite will enable voice communication on mobile phones. It will be an interesting mission".

While neither the minister nor Indian space agency ISRO confirmed who the American satellite operator is, experts confirm that it is AST SpaceMobile, a Texas-based company is hoping to launch its big communication satellite from Sriharikota.

The US company has asserted that one can use any smartphone to make voice calls using their services. Most other current satellite-based Internet and voice providers ask subscribers to buy special handsets or have special terminals like Starlink does.

American media had reported that Abel Avellan, the CEO of AST SpaceMobile, had confirmed in an investor call last year by announcing that they will use the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to launch a single Block 2 of the Bluebird satellite. 

NDTV has reached out to AST SpaceMobile for a statement. No response came in till the time the story was filed.

Each Bluebird satellite will have an antenna of the size of 64 square meters or about half the size of a football field. The satellite will weigh nearly 6000 kilograms and India's rocket will put it in a low Earth orbit.  

In an earlier statement, Abel Avellan said they "invented a technology that connects satellites directly to ordinary cell phones and provides broadband internet through the largest ever commercial phase array in low Earth orbit".

AST SpaceMobile's mission, he added, is to close the global connectivity gap and digitally transform nations by bringing "affordable 5G broadband service from space to billions of people worldwide, direct to everyday smartphones".

An ISRO expert said this satellite will enable "direct to mobile communication" and the company is hoping to place some massive satellites in the Earth's orbit to power this path-breaking technology.  
ISRO experts confirmed that AST SpaceMobile has hired the services of India's Bahuballi rocket or the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 for launching the Bluebird satellite. 

It is a huge boost for ISRO since now even American companies are having faith in India's LVM-3 which has a one hundred percent success record. 

Before this there have been two dedicated commercial launches of LVM-3 to hoist satellites for the OneWeb constellation, where Bharti Enterprises have a big stake, the same group also owns Indian telecom service Airtel.

This new satellite-based direct to mobile connectivity will be in direct competition to the existing providers like Starlink and Oneweb, both of which use massive constellations (satellite network) to provide broadband Internet connectivity. 

In contrast, an ISRO expert said since AST SpaceMobile wants to deploy massive satellites they could make do with a slightly smaller constellation.

AST SpaceMobile asserts its technology is "designed to connect directly to mobile phones by becoming a pioneer as we create the first and only space-based cellular broadband network".

The American company further added: "Our goal is to make cellular broadband available almost anywhere so you can connect with the rest of the world - regardless of where you live or work. We want to help people stay connected where traditional networks can't, including when existing telecom infrastructure fails. We hope to welcome new populations into the global digital economy, opening up opportunities for work, education, social networking, healthcare, and more. AST SpaceMobile's planned solution may not require switching cellular service providers. We're working with mobile network operators around the world to provide optional connectivity to our satellites when needed."

ISRO experts confirm that it is a purely commercial launch being spearheaded by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Department of Space. India is just providing a ride to the American satellite and nothing more.