Bell Canada has finished construction of its first sovereign direct-to-device satellite ground station, located in Quebec, marking a significant step toward nationwide connectivity.
The facility connects with AST SpaceMobile’s (ASTS) growing constellation of satellites and has already begun active testing across a range of communication functions.
Bell successfully completed integration testing that included text messaging, broadband data connectivity, voice calls, and video calls on standard, unmodified smartphones through the new ground station.
The company plans to validate video streaming, IoT capabilities, and public alert systems through the facility in the coming weeks, expanding the scope of what the service can deliver.
Once fully operational, the Quebec ground station will form part of a broader Canadian infrastructure network supporting direct-to-device satellite service for Bell customers.
The service is designed to allow Bell customers to stay connected on standard smartphones in areas that fall beyond the reach of traditional wireless networks, including remote and rural regions.
Bell is also building additional ground stations in Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador, with construction already underway at each of those locations across the country.
Together, these facilities will ensure Bell customers’ data traffic is carried through domestic infrastructure, keeping personal data within Canadian borders while enabling national satellite coverage.
“Delivering Canada’s best networks means finding new ways to connect customers beyond the reach of traditional wireless coverage,” said Mark McDonald, EVP and Chief Technology Officer at Bell.
McDonald added that the satellite ground infrastructure is “designed to support a full suite of direct-to-device capabilities, including messaging, data connectivity, voice calling, and video streaming, helping extend connectivity to remote and underserved areas.”
Chris Ivory, Chief Commercial Officer at AST SpaceMobile, noted that “Canada’s vast and diverse geography presents a unique need to extend cellular broadband beyond the reach of traditional terrestrial infrastructure.”
Ivory said that Bell’s investment, combined with “AST SpaceMobile’s unique space-based cellular broadband technology, will extend coverage beyond the reach of traditional terrestrial networks and deliver a seamless connectivity experience on everyday smartphones everywhere, anytime.”
The new ground station builds on demonstrations that Bell and AST SpaceMobile announced last summer, representing a shift from trial activities to permanent, functioning network infrastructure.
Beyond consumer connectivity, the service is expected to support emergency response, environmental monitoring, resource development, energy production, and transportation applications across Canada.
AST SpaceMobile is building what it describes as the first and only global cellular broadband network in space designed to work directly with standard mobile devices, targeting today’s nearly 6 billion mobile subscribers globally.
