Verizon has started downloading certain Android phones allowing users to connect to its satellite system for texting.
In the ultra-competitive wireless industry, the big battleground these days is in the sky. Offering subscribers satellite connectivity in areas where there is no cellular service is the hottest new feature used by wireless firms like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T to attract new subscribers or raise revenue.
In a press release that the nation’s largest carrier dropped today, Verizon said that its customers are now the first in the U.S. with the capability to text anyone via satellite when there is no cellular signal available. The texting via satellite service will be available for select Android devices including the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and the Google Pixel 9 line. Unlike T-Mobile, the service will be available free-at least at first-to everyone on Verizon’s network.
Verizon will start upgrading compatible handsets beginning today and will continue over the next two weeks. Further testing of satellite connectivity as a backup continues as the carrier works on the use of satellite connectivity for data services and video calling.
