Verizon users could get space-based broadband connectivity as soon as later this year

Two major US cell phone carriers entered the satellite space this year, promising to bring connectivity to areas that wouldn’t have it otherwise. AT&T inked a deal with AST SpaceMobile to provide satellite-based calling and texting. T-Mobile users meanwhile started seeing evidence that satellite texting provided by Starlink was close to being available.

Now, Verizon is getting in on the action.

Like AT&T, Verizon has signed on with AST SpaceMobile to power broadband, satellite-based coverage in areas where traditional cell service might not be available. Users won’t need special equipment or modified phones.

Also: The best satellite phones you can buy: Expert tested

Verizon hasn’t given many details, but if it follows the protocol of other carriers, texting will be available first, followed by voice calling. The feature will be available on both Android and iPhone devices. Apple has had its own satellite texting option for a while now, but this new addition would presumably support calling and video calls.

AST SpaceMobile will launch its first commercial satellites later this year, and customer connectivity could be available shortly after launch.

AST SpaceMobile founder and CEO Abel Avellan said the partnership would allow the two companies to “target 100 percent coverage of the continental United States, essentially eliminating dead zones and empowering remote areas of the country with space-based connectivity.”

At least right now, it seems like AST SpaceMobile might be a little ahead of its competitor, SpaceX. Last year, AST SpaceMobile completed a two-way voice call via satellite, calling from Midland, Texas, to Rakuten, Japan, over the AT&T spectrum.

SpaceX has more than 3 million subscribers to its Starlink internet service, but AST SpaceMobile now has partnerships with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, who collectively serve over 2.8 billion existing subscribers. Additionally, earlier this year, AST SpaceMobile secured strategic investments from AT&T, Google, and Vodafone.