Today, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have announced a joint venture that aims to use satellite-based technologies to address coverage gaps, especially in unserved and underserved communities.
This joint venture will extend mobile connectivity for the customers of all three companies through joint investment in using satellite-based direct-to-device technologies wherever there are coverage gaps.
The trio’s customers will “have a more seamless experience, especially in remote areas where traditional cell networks have limited or no service”, the official joint press release states.
The joint venture’s “collaborative approach” will “expand customer choice by bringing together IP and terrestrial spectrum and creating industry specifications” that will make everything work more smoothly.
This is just “an agreement in principle” at the moment, so don’t pop the champagne just yet. If everything goes well, the coverage should improve for you regardless of which carrier you do business with, as the big three will pool their spectrum resources to increase capacity and will help satellite providers reach more customers through a unified platform. In the end, dead zones will all but be eliminated, and network performance will improve.