AT&T said it handed a live connection from its ground-based cellular network to AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device satellite network at 8:15 a.m. PT on Wednesday 21 October 2026, outside Granite Falls, Washington, in what the carrier calls the industry’s first successful handoff between a ground-based cellular network and a direct-to-device satellite network.

The companies announced the test on 2 November, 12 days after it took place. AT&T said the handoff builds on previous voice calls, text messages and video calls carried through AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites using everyday smartphones, and that the achievement advances plans to complement its existing wireless network with satellite connectivity in remote and hard-to-reach locations using everyday smartphones.

Via Satellite reported that during the demonstration in late October a phone call on AT&T’s wireless network transferred to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network when the phone moved out of cellular coverage, and that the companies called it a first-of-its-kind demonstration.

The test outside Granite Falls

AT&T said moving between ground and satellite coverage with other providers can mean a dropped call or interrupted connection. The two companies set out to move a connection between AT&T’s ground-based wireless network and AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network with the network, in the carrier’s description, doing the work behind the scenes.

Brian Walsh, principal product development engineering for AT&T, compared the complexity of the cellular to satellite handoff to going from a highway to a moving plane, Via Satellite reported. Walsh said the connection worked “perfectly”, and the handoff was shown in the engineering logs.

AT&T set out the division of work in its announcement. The carrier supplied its nationwide wireless network, and AST SpaceMobile supplied the satellite network designed to connect directly with everyday smartphones. AT&T said the satellite connectivity is designed to complement and extend its network by improving service in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

What Ericsson and Nokia supplied

Ericsson provided AT&T with combined radio and core technology carrying what the carrier called 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”, according to AT&T’s announcement.

Nokia provided the radio access technology and mobility software that powers AST SpaceMobile’s space-based network, which AT&T said enables handover and service continuity as users move between terrestrial networks and satellite coverage.

“Together with AT&T we are making cellular broadband coverage from space a seamless part of the mobile network people use every day,” said 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.”

Beta first, then commercial service

AT&T said the next step is beta services under real-world conditions, followed by commercial service. The company gave no date for either.

“The successful handoff is a significant milestone, but it’s not the finish line. As we progress toward real-world beta services and ultimately commercial service, we’re bringing together AT&T’s broad and dense fiber footprint, the nation’s largest terrestrial wireless network, and complementary connectivity enabled by partners such as AST SpaceMobile to create a more seamless, resilient experience,” said Robert Walters, SVP, Network, AT&T.

In a statement quoted by Via Satellite, Walters said the next phase is expected to include beta services under real-world conditions, allowing the companies to refine performance further, and that the broader objective is to progress to commercial service.

Via Satellite reported that AT&T has a commercial agreement with AST SpaceMobile under which the satellite operator provides space-based cellular broadband to AT&T customers through a revenue share model running to 2030. The same report said AST SpaceMobile expects to be able to start initial commercial service with around 45 satellites in orbit, and expects to reach that number around early 2027.