AST SpaceMobile completes direct-to-cell test with TELUS

AST SpaceMobile and Canadian telecommunications company TELUS announced on Monday, October 5, 2026, the successful completion of their first integration test between TELUS' wireless network and AST SpaceMobile's space-based network. The milestone verifies the direct delivery of broadband data, voice calls, and text messages between standard smartphones and satellites in Low Earth Orbit without requiring specialised equipment.

The service is expected to become available to TELUS customers within the next year. The technology is designed to eliminate cellular dead zones across Canada by extending coverage to remote wilderness, national parks, transit corridors, and northern worksites in sectors such as natural resources, energy, forestry, and construction, alongside expanding access to 9-1-1 emergency services.

Chris Ivory, Chief Commercial Officer at AST SpaceMobile, stated that the test highlights how mobile network operators can seamlessly extend existing networks using everyday mobile devices. AST SpaceMobile continues to develop its space-based cellular broadband network to serve standard 4G and 5G smartphones globally.