If you’re on AT&T or Verizon and dread losing signal on a road trip, you don’t have to wait for AST SpaceMobile. Your phone may already text from space: iPhone 14 and later models do it for free, and Verizon has its own option for select Android phones.
The wait for the carriers’ own satellite network just got longer. On its November 9 earnings call, AST SpaceMobile said intermittent U.S. coverage should switch on before the end of 2026, with consumer beta trials in early 2027, according to Stocktwits. The company has 13 BlueBird satellites in operation and is aiming for about 45 by mid-2027, the number Light Reading describes as needed for continuous U.S. coverage.
Your iPhone is already a satellite phone
Apple’s Messages via satellite works on iPhone 14 or later with iOS 18, in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan. Apple says it’s free for two years after you activate the phone.
You need to be outside with a clear view of the sky and horizon. In ideal conditions a text takes about 30 seconds, and you can’t send photos, voice notes or group messages. iMessage works over satellite, while regular SMS depends on your carrier.
Try it before you need it: open Settings, then Apps, then Messages, and tap Satellite Connection Demo.
Verizon’s Android option and a $10 backup
Verizon began satellite texting to any phone in March 2025 on select Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 models, using the satellite company Skylo. The list has grown since then, so confirm your exact model with Verizon.
AT&T customers don’t have a carrier satellite texting service yet. In October, AT&T and AST passed a live connection from a cell tower to a satellite without dropping it, a test AT&T said brings the companies “one step closer to commercial service.”
If your phone or carrier isn’t covered, T-Mobile sells T-Satellite to customers of any carrier for $10 a month per line, as of November 2026. It runs on Starlink, works on most phones from the last four years, and supports WhatsApp voice chat and apps like Google Maps. T-Mobile also offers free text to 911 by satellite to anyone with an eligible phone, no T-Mobile account required.
What changes when AST finally arrives
AST says its network is built to work with standard, unmodified phones and to go beyond texting toward cellular broadband from space. What it will cost, and which AT&T and Verizon plans will include it, hasn’t been announced.
Before your next trip off the grid, check your phone’s settings for a satellite option while you still have signal.
