This Starlink competitor is already being used to make video calls via satellite

• AT&T and Verizon shared the progress of their respective satellite communication efforts.

• Both brands are utilizing AST SpaceMobile. Both made video calls using new satellites launched in September 2024.

• AT&T could make commercial services available soon.

Things could get pretty exciting over the next couple of years, as wireless carriers in the US try to one up each other when it comes to satellite communication services. For some time now, T-Mobile and Starlink have been in the headlines, with things becoming more of a reality recently as subscribers have been able to get their hands on the service in beta .

While there's still a long way to go, things are looking pretty good considering we're just at the very beginning of this new way to communicate. Of course, it looks like progress is coming relatively quickly, with both AT&T and Verizon now showing off their own accomplishments in this space, announcing that they were both able to make a video call by satellite.

Things are getting spicy

Although we really do have to question the timing here, with both Verizon and AT&T releasing press releases about this event on the same day. When it comes to the details, both companies are relying on AST SpaceMobile in order to make their satellite communication goals a reality.

AT&T went into a little more detail here in its press release , with a timeline that indicates the carrier has been testing its satellite network since as early as 2023. AT&T also shares that it could have commercial service up and running soon. AST SpaceMobile launched its BlueBird satellites back in September 2024, and these satellites will be used to support these services.

AT&T also has plans to use its satellite services to support FirstNet Authority, with the possibility of bringing "push-to-talk services and always-on priority and preemption capabilities." Verizon was a bit more modest in its press release , only sharing that it tested a video call using AST SpaceMobile satellites, and that it looks forward to this new era of satellite technology.

Regardless, we're still probably quite a ways away from being able to video call friends and family from the forest. While this is all quite exciting, the real question is, how much is all of this going to cost when it's made available to consumers?