Smartphone Provides TerreStar Satellite Capability

By Doug Lung
published

TerreStar, one of two companies assigned mobile satellite service using spectrum reallocated from the 2 GHz ENG band, has reached an agreement with AT&T to market the first fully integrated satellite cellular smartphone.

The service will be offered using the TerreStar Genus smartphone, which combines 3G terrestrial wireless capability with satellite voice and data in a standard smartphone size and form factor. While the phone will use the 3G network as the primary connection, the satellite connection will be available when a terrestrial signal isn't detected.

“TerreStar is pleased to announce AT&T as a distribution channel,” said Jeffrey Epstein, president of TerreStar Networks. “TerreStar remains focused on offering an integrated satellite and terrestrial communications solution to enable true ubiquity and reliability virtually anywhere in the United States to help solve the critical communications and business continuity challenges faced by government, emergency responders, enterprises and rural communities.”

The Genus smartphone is scheduled to be demonstrated to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Denver this week.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.