Verizone and AST SpaceMobile have reached an agreement to bridge customers’ service gaps when they travel outside of the coverage area of terrestrial cell towers. The business is investing $100 million in a new agreement that will use the 850 Mhz frequency to link mobile phones to AST’s satellite network.

According to AST, the new Verizon agreement will enable it to aim for “100% coverage” for its space-to-cellphone service across the continental US. In addition to launching five satellites into low orbit this summer, AST SpaceMobile recently signed an agreement with AT&T that will last until 2030. AT&T became an investor in AST earlier this year, joining Google and Vodafone.

For the iPhone 14 and 15, Apple implemented an Emergency SOS via satellite feature that allows you to text AAA (and also Verizon) for roadside help in places without connectivity. Similar messaging features are also coming to Android. Voice and video conversations are supported by T-Mobile’s satellite-to-cellular links as well as those of AST SpaceMobile, also known as Starlink.
Abel Avellan, the founder and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, is quoted as saying that the company will be able to “aim for 100 percent coverage of the continental United States” thanks to the agreement with Verizon. Using a call from a cellular dead zone in Hawaii, AST SpaceMobile showcased “the ‘first ever’ 5G connection between an unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space” last year.

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