Bell Completes Canada’s First D2D Satellite Ground Station with AST SpaceMobile

Bell has announced the completion of construction at its first direct-to-device (D2D) satellite ground station in Québec, marking a key step towards launching satellite-to-smartphone services across Canada in partnership with AST SpaceMobile.

The facility has entered testing and is already connected to AST SpaceMobile's growing low Earth orbit constellation. Bell said it has successfully completed integration tests covering text messaging, broadband data, voice calls and video calls on standard smartphones, with video streaming, IoT connectivity and public alert testing planned next.

The ground station represents the transition from demonstration trials to permanent network infrastructure. Once commercial service launches, Bell customers will be able to access satellite connectivity on everyday smartphones in areas beyond the reach of terrestrial mobile networks, with support for messaging, voice and broadband data.

Bell is also building additional satellite ground stations in Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Together, the sites will route satellite traffic through domestic infrastructure, allowing customer data to remain within Canada while extending coverage to remote and underserved regions.

The deployment forms part of Bell's broader partnership with AST SpaceMobile to integrate space-based cellular broadband directly into its existing mobile network, targeting consumer connectivity as well as applications including emergency response, transportation, environmental monitoring and resource industries.