Skylo Enables Satellite Phone Calls on Smartphones
A groundbreaking innovation has been announced by a tech firm that boasts partnerships with industry giants Google, Samsung, and Verizon. The company claims to have developed a satellite-powered voice call service for smartphones, marking a significant leap in mobile connectivity.
On Wednesday, Skylo disclosed the successful completion of its first voice calls through their “narrow-band non-terrestrial network,” which incorporates satellites from Viasat and EchoStar. The company asserts that their breakthrough technology has the capacity to facilitate tens of millions of calls per region monthly using their existing satellite network service.
Skylo is among several industry players vying to bring satellite-to-phone connectivity to market, competing with SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile, and Apple partner Globalstar. Initially, these satellite-based services have been limited primarily to text messaging and location sharing. However, in March, Skylo’s CEO hinted at an expansion into satellite calling.
The challenge of establishing satellite calls is substantial: Signals from Earth’s orbit are generally weaker than those from cell towers. Additionally, standard smartphones lack the large antennas and transmit power necessary to maintain a long-distance link with satellites.
However, Skylo attributes this breakthrough to their newly developed “Skylo Voice Gateway,” which leverages advanced, AI-native voice codecs to deliver high-quality communication by optimizing data consumption and call quality. A video demonstrating the technology, including footage of a satellite call made last month, has been published by Skylo.
The company did not immediately respond to inquiries about potential limitations of the satellite calling service or if any partners plan to offer this capability. In the meantime, the video explains that the Skylo Voice Gateway functions as a “smart bridge” between Earth-based telecommunication carriers and Skylo’s satellite network, which operates using a low bitrate.
“NTN Voice Calling is something no other network can deliver at global commercial scale,” claimed Tarun Gupta, Skylo cofounder in the announcement. Competitors like SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile are also working on similar features, including voice and video calling. SpaceX’s partner T-Mobile will support satellite data to third-party apps, starting with the Pixel 10.
Google, a Skylo partner, has hinted that Pixel 10 phones, launching soon, will support satellite calls on WhatsApp. While specific details have not been provided, SpaceX has suggested that its cellular Starlink service may be involved. The cellular Starlink service is currently available in the US through T-Mobile and is expanding to other markets, including Canada.
Skylo is already powering free satellite messaging to 911 emergency services on the Pixel 9, the upcoming Pixel 10, and the Pixel Watch 4. Verizon has tapped Skylo to offer satellite text messaging as a free perk for phones including the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, Pixel 9 phones, and Pixel 10 handsets.
