In the future, when climbing the 100 peaks of Taiwan or encountering communication disruptions due to natural disasters, you won't have to envy others with satellite phones anymore! Taiwan Mobile announced at MWC 2026 that it has partnered with the world's first telecommunications company to achieve "Direct to Cellular, D2C" satellite connectivity.AST SpaceMobileA strategic cooperation memorandum was signed. Both parties will jointly promote the coordinated operation of space base stations and Taiwan's existing mobile network. This means that in the future, Taiwan Mobile users will be able to use their standard smartphones to directly connect to low-Earth orbit satellites in space to maintain basic communications, even in areas with no base station signal, such as deep mountains or at sea.
With the impact of extreme weather and geopolitics, building highly resilient communication networks has become a top priority for telecommunications companies worldwide. Taiwan Mobile's strategic move not only directly aligns with the development pace of global Tier 1 operators but also provides a significant boost to communication coverage in Taiwan's rural areas and disaster relief efforts.
The D2C revolution that requires no device replacement and no external antenna
Previously well-known low-Earth orbit satellite services (such as Starlink) typically required users to set up a dedicated satellite receiving terminal device, commonly known as a "pizza box," at a fixed location, and then convert the signal into Wi-Fi for mobile phones to use.
However, the D2C (Direct to Cellular) technology, which Taiwan Mobile and AST SpaceMobile are focusing on, is completely different. The ultimate goal of this technology is to allow low-Earth orbit satellites located at an altitude of 500 kilometers to directly transmit standard mobile communication signals that can be received by ordinary mobile phones. Users do not need to change their mobile phones or install any special satellite antenna equipment. They can seamlessly switch to satellite networks in areas where ground base stations are disabled or not covered (such as high mountains and valleys, and near-shore waters) and obtain basic connectivity and SMS sending and receiving capabilities.
A Giant "Space Hive Network": The Hard Power of AST SpaceMobile
For a typical smartphone to receive a weak signal from 500 kilometers away, the satellite itself must be designed to be extremely sophisticated.
AST SpaceMobile is dedicated to building the world's first space-based cellular broadband network that allows standard mobile phones to connect directly. Its "BlueBird" satellite array employs an extremely large-scale phased array antenna design. A single satellite, once deployed in space, covers an area of approximately 2400 square feet (about 67 pings), making it the largest antenna architecture currently available for low-Earth orbit satellites. This is the key to overcoming physical limitations and accurately projecting signals onto mobile phones.
The company's technological prowess has already attracted strategic investments from international technology companies and telecommunications companies such as Google, AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, and Rakuten, and has even secured cooperation agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Space Development Agency.
A Powerful Alliance: Taiwan University's Ground Support and Legal Advancement
In this collaborative framework, both parties have a clear division of labor:
• AST SpaceMobile: Responsible for providing and operating low-Earth orbit satellite mobile communication systems, providing core space technology resources.
• Taiwan Mobile: Responsible for providing mobile network support in Taiwan, building and operating ground receiving stations, and undertaking the most critical tasks of spectrum planning coordination and regulatory communication.
Taiwan Mobile General Manager Lin Chih-chen stated that Taiwan's diverse terrain and location in a region prone to natural disasters mean that low-Earth orbit satellite technology can significantly enhance the resilience of terrestrial networks. AST SpaceMobile President Scott Wisniewski also pointed out that the core of this collaboration is ensuring uninterrupted connectivity during critical moments, representing a more resilient and future-oriented communications ecosystem.
Analysis of viewpoints
The cooperation agreement signed by Taiwan Mobile at MWC 2026 is quite forward-looking, and it also marks the official entry of Taiwan's telecommunications industry into the practical stage of "satellite-terrestrial integration".
Compared to Chunghwa Telecom's previous exclusive introduction of OneWeb low-Earth orbit satellite service (primarily for fixed terminal backup for enterprises and government agencies), Taiwan Mobile's alliance with AST SpaceMobile clearly indicates a focus on the broader "general consumer" (B2C) market. Enabling ordinary people's iPhones or Android phones to instantly transform into life-saving communication tools during major base station outages like the Hualien earthquake—this is the greatest social value and commercial potential of D2C technology.
However, to turn this beautiful vision into reality, Taiwan Mobile still faces numerous challenges. Besides ensuring AST SpaceMobile's own satellite launch schedule is met on time, the allocation of satellite communication spectrum in Taiwan, the environmental impact assessment for ground station construction, and the regulatory oversight by the NCC all require significant time and resources to advance. This is undoubtedly a marathon, but it is certainly the right and necessary path.
