AT&T and TerreStar to Offer Hybrid Sat/Cell Phones

posted Sep 30, 2009, 7:43 AM by Eric M. Zeman

Today AT&T and TerreStar announced a new partnership that will make hybrid satellite-cellular phones available to customers in the U.S. The service will provide normal cellular access when users are covered by AT&T's cellular network, and can seamlessly switch to the satellite network for coverage in remote areas of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and in territorial coastal waters. Along with the new service, AT&T and TerreStar are also announcing the Genus smartphone. This hybrid device runs Windows Mobile and offers quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS/HSDPA 3G radios. It has a 2.6-inch touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, and is what AT&T calls "a standard smartphone size and form factor." Exact pricing for the service and the handset weren't announced, though users will be required to subscribe to standard AT&T voice and data plans, and will pay roaming charges when using the satellite network. The service is not going to be available until the first quarter of 2010. The Genus and associated satellite-cellular services will be available to government and business customers first, but AT&T said that it is also working on a consumer variant as well.

more info at AT&T / TerreStar »

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